A Hunter's Heart
by AddieWho
Summary: When the Winchesters are saved by a huntress named Lexi, she merges into their lives with caution, only to be thrown into a world that she never expected. Love, Lust, and loss are all in her future, but how can she use them to save the fallen angels? Destiel Past & Present. OC. OC Ship. Continuous Writing. All fluff (for now)! XD
1. The Kickoff

_**Hello! My friend and I have been working on this story for a long time and are very happy to finally be able to publish it! This is a Destiel story, but we also have an OC ship that we're very excited about! We plan on publishing every Tuesday for about eight weeks then taking a break, but it's kind of up in the air right now.**_

_**Without further ado... Please enjoy.**_

_**A Hunter's Heart**_

_Chapter 1_

_The Kickoff_

Dean glanced at Sam from the drivers seat of the Impala. Sam peeked behind his back at the warehouse they were about to storm. It was late at night and Dean decided it was time to go. Within seconds they had their machetes sharpened and dead man's blood at the ready.

"Are you sure they're gone?" Sam asked his brother cautiously

"We both saw them leave, at LEAST two trucks full vamps went out for the hunt."

"Are you sure that no one was left behind?

"Two trucks FULL, Sam. How many do you think there are?"

"I don't know, but we have enough dead mans blood for an army ready for when they come back."

And with that, they stormed into the warehouse. Thanks to a hole in the fencing, the entrance was easy. Experience told them that the room they were looking for would be the top of the 5 story building. The brothers made their way up a series of creaky stairs, stopping at each floor to find a what they were looking for. After only 2 floors of termite-infested stairwells, they found it. A near empty room was where they finally saw the feeding floor. It was a large, relatively empty room with a round table at the far end. Surrounding the table were a set of seven vacant chairs. Sections were fenced off of the wall with metal wire crossing them, closing off bleeding victims.

"How many people do they need?" Sam inquired, shaking one of the countless cages, causing the meal inside to moan and slowly shrug only to fall back to sleep, "There's probably two more floors full of these guys."

"I think you were right, Sammy," Dean looked to his younger brother with terror in his eyes, "there's way more than two trucks of 'em."

Sam looked confused for a moment, before he saw Dean take a handful of empty blood bags out of an industrial sized garbage can. Far more than enough to feed just two trucks, the brothers didn't have time to think before they were being attacked by 6, no, 7 vamps.

Dean took a swing at the first fang he could see, but it ducked before the machete could make contact. He did however, manage to slice some meat off the side of the vamp next to the first one, leaving it clenching its side, vulnerable. Dean saw an opportunity and took it, cutting the neck of the injured vamp. His victory was short lived as he took a blow from another fang, right below his left ribcage. Scowling he jerked back his left elbow, successfully hitting the attacker in its chest. One more swing of a machete _And then there were five_, he thought. Within the next few minutes, he took two more blows, one to his stomach, and one to his face. Eventually, though, he managed to take the head off another vamp.

Examining his surroundings, he heard a gunshot. _Sammy!_ Sam had shot one of the scrawnier vamps in his chest with dead man's blood, probably paralyzing the SOB, down for the count. Wounds covered the remaining vampires. Sammy had fought a good battle, but he hadn't managed to kill a single one. _He's rusty._ Dean shoved his way into the storm of blows and blades. Sam nearly cut off his brothers head, but luckily, Dean anticipated the charge, dodging the blade and sending it through the neck of the fang beside him. Sam was pretty beat up by the time there were only two vamps still standing. Dean tried his best to help his brother, but a fang had managed to grab him from behind and was currently cutting off his air supply, the room went black. Sam saw all of this and managed to work up enough rage to chop the head off of the thug who knocked out his brother.

He knelt down and took his brothers pulse. Escalated. Working its way to normality. Deans eyes slowly opened. "Did we win?" he asked with a chuckle and cough. A smiling Sam sighed, and turned around, looking at the damage the battle had caused. To his surprise, he couldn't see the mess past a figure with a harpoon launcher pointed at him. Deans eyes opened wider from his position on the ground. As Sam rose his hands, he opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the harpooned silhouette.

"Duck." the figure said, and, with that word, Sam joined his brother on the ground. A harpoon shot past the brothers and into the neck of a vampire. _How did I miss that? _Sam thought, _He was right in front of me!_ As the figure stepped over the boys, it pushed the wide blade of the harpoon the rest of the way through the vamps neck. _Clever._ Sam thought, he and Dean, now fully conscious, got to their feet.

In a flash, Dean had his gun out and pointed at the figure that was pulling the harpoon out of the vampires neck.

"Put it down," Dean shouted, not knowing who this was, if it was a hunter, another vampire, or one of the fangs' blood-bags that had gotten out. The brothers could see two hands raise, but hardly anything else in the darkness of the shadows. "Come into the light, slowly," Dean finished. No movement, "NOW." he insisted, gripping his gun tighter.

"Okay," a voice rang out of the shadows, shocking the brothers. Jaws dropped as the previously anonymous figure stepped into the light. A woman. about 6', made her way slowly to the boys. Her face was scared, but stern. The freckles on her cheeks made them look dirtier than they were, but highlighted her green eyes nicely. Her anxious face was framed by wisps of blonde hair that were rebelling against the ponytail that was sitting comfortably towards the back of her head. Her face was one that had seen conflict, and when it looked towards the brothers, they could see she was a friend. Dean lowered the gun slowly and her hands fell to her sides.

"You're welcome," She had broken the silence between the three of them. Dean tucked his gun back into the back of his belt and Sam began to speak.

"Thanks," he started, still catching his breath, "I'm Sam and this is my brother Dean," his extended hand met with hers and a smile formed on her face. Sam was smiling back when her hand went limp. Her smile faded as she fell to the ground, right next to the vampire that had just stabbed her.

_**Yay! I hope you liked it! Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Share. Comment or PM me what you thought of the chapter and if you have any questions, comments, or concerns (or just to say hi!). Also, we do have more written, so we WILL be publishing every week ON A SET SCHEDULE. Thanks so much! A&amp;A**_


	2. Don't Ask

_**A/N~~ So, I know I said we'd only post on Tuesdays, but I wanted to throw you a bone! Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Don't Ask**_

"_Thanks," he started, still catching his breath, "I'm Sam and this is my brother Dean," his extended hand met with hers and a smile formed on her face. Sam was smiling back when her hand went limp. Her smile faded as she fell to the ground, right next to the vampire that had just stabbed her._

Time fell into slow motion as the brothers watched her fall to the ground. Dean beheaded the fang that killer her, the one Sam had almost killed with a shot of dead-man's blood. It, apparently, had just enough energy in it's body to pull out a tucked away knife and stab the female hunter in the back, (literally).

Sam bursted into action by assisting his now unconscious savior. He found that the vampire responsible for the stabbing finished the job by taking out the blade, leaving her flesh open for the blood to flow out of. It left a hole, not only in the flesh, but in the fabric of her clothes as well, which resulted in an awkward job for Sam, but there was really no choice. With a bit of difficulty, he removed her black leather jacket and gray t-shirt. Luckily, she was wearing a tank-top underneath the rest of these layers, so it didn't become even more uncomfortable.

Dean had just finished the job, only to turn around in time to see Sam undressing the girl.

"What are you doing?" he asked, confused at the sight before him.

Sam looked up, realizing what this must look like.

"Ew! No! Just, help me stop the bleeding," he began to get her on her left side and told Dean to hold her head level with her spine. As he used her gray shirt to put pressure on her wound, Sam could see the bright white glow of headlights temporarily light up the room they were in.

"They're back," Dean stated.

"So early?" Sam replied.

"Maybe they realized they left the door unlocked."

Sam scoffed, lifting the huntress. Dean shone a flashlight towards the stairwell they had climbed, leading the way with a machete at the ready. As they made their way to the ground floor, the door at the front of the house began to shutter. Dean could make out a conversation the fangs were having, something about lost keys._Your loss, our gain._ he thought, as he scoured the first floor for a back door. Just as he was about to give up and start fighting, the flashlight lit up a rusty old back door. The brothers rushed it like it was life or death, because is was. They moved fluidly out the door, Sam still carrying their knocked-out helper. They took a large curve around the front of the warehouse and arrived at the Impala just as they could hear shouts coming from behind, the monsters had, no doubt, found the little mess that the brothers had left behind. Sam was in the back seat with the girl laying across his lap. Dean high-tailed it out of sight of the warehouse.

"How's she doing?" Dean asked from the speeding drivers seat.

"Not good. The bleeding has almost stopped, but she's not awake to tell me if any of her other injuries are affecting her."

"Nearest hospital. Got it."

"No!" Sam instinctively replied, not sure of the words coming out of his mouth.

"What?" Dean was shocked, "She obviously needs medical attention."

"What will we say when we drop her off? 'Hey, she just got stabbed by a stray vampire that I shot with dead mans blood instead of killing and now she probably needs surgery, do you take MasterCard?'"

"We do this all the time! We drop her off where she's going to be found. If it makes you feel better, we'll put her in a wheelchair and push it into the general direction of the ICU. It's better that way. No questions asked. Questions are a hunters worst enemy."

"Oh, really," Sam replied, an idea forming, "I thought questions were just _our_ worst enemy."

"Nope, little brother. Every hunter hates questions."

"What about her?"

"What?"

"She's a hunter."

"So?"

"I thought hunters always helped each other."

"Well, yeah," Dean hesitated, looking for a loophole in this situation.

An awkward silence ended when overlapping conversation erupted. Both of the Winchesters tried to defend their case. Dean yelled about priorities and keeping her healthy. Sam shouted that his medical "training" has saved them more than once. Dean shrieked about a few infected stitches that Sam had implemented.

"Well, maybe we could just call Cas and see if he could heal her."

Silence

That was the first time in a long time that Dean had heard that name. A dangerous silence fell over the Impala. Dean starred his brother down through the rearview mirror.

"I'm sorry, man," Sam broke the silence, "but that was weeks ago, Dean, that was _months._ Just, do us both a favor and man up! Eventually-"

"Fine!" Dean rotated the steering wheel of his beloved Impala, "Next stop; Bunker"

_**Oooooo... What's Dean hiding? Where's Cas? Follow, favorite, and comment to find out! ~~Ad&amp;Al**_


	3. Memories

_**Yay! Another chapter! We're so excited to upload again! It's awesome to know that people follow and enjoy the story. So, here ya go!**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Memories**_

The Bunker wasn't very far away from the vampire nest, about an hour by car. Dean, however, managed to get them there in 30 minutes, eager to escape the remnants of an unwanted conversation. Once there, Sam immediately took their injured savior into the "lab", as the boys had become accustomed to calling it. A large room covered in tiles and littered with pill bottles and suspicious liquids acted as their Doctor's office. The only proper surgeons table was actually a large metal table that the brothers had hauled in from a nearby junkyard. Sam put their unnamed hero on the table as he scrambled for his equipment.

Two bottles of Jack Daniels later, the huntress had 5 stitches in her right side and one stitch on her left shoulder. She also had a single butterfly bandage across the corner of her left eyebrow. Sam took a step away from the operating table to admire his work. Despite the patch of scarred, lightened skin spreading from her lower waist down to her knee, the stitches were formed beautifully just above her hip. Two fingers to her neck told Sam that her pulse was normal. It was time to get her to bed.

Sam prepared one of the countless rooms, left to them by the men of letters, for their savior. After carrying her to the room, he stopped and peered in his brothers.

Located next to Sam's, the door to Dean's room was resting open a few inches. Through this small crack, Sam could see his brother, kneeling next to the bed in the stereotypical "praying" stance. Sam would have laughed at Dean's position, but he was interrupted by the loud sound of praying coming from his brothers mouth.

"Cas?," his eye's peered open, hoping to find his angel standing before him. When Dean remained alone in the room, he continued, "Come on, man. It's been 6 months. The silent treatment is getting old. A least give me a chance to explain myself," only silence, "_Please,_ Cas. I'm begging here. What you saw, no, what you _thought_ you saw wasn't what you think it was!" still only silence. After a few more moments of quiet, Dean erupted off his knees and started throwing things. Dean had barely caught a glimpse of Sam peeking through the door when he catapulted a lamp in his direction, slamming the door shut.

_Oh, Dean, you're such an idiot. _Sam thought, as he rushed into his room to hide the fact that he was at his brothers door.

After he had closed the door to his room, without warning, a memory resurfaced.

~Dean's door was in the same position as Sam saw it just a few moments ago, but instead of Dean kneeling beside the bed, he was laying on top of it, above the covers. With his torso propped up against the head of the bed, Dean lay there lazily watching the television, which was on the opposite wall. His right hand was in a large bowl of popcorn and, while he was fully clothed, his blue jeans were hidden underneath the black dress pants of an angel. Castiel was resting next to Dean, cuddling up to his legs. Cas was only half heartedly watching the television, the other half of him was far more focused on Dean and Dean's large hand, which was now playing with the angel's hair. Neither of them cared what was on T.V., they both seemed more relaxed and content than anything else.~

Sam shook his head, trying to understand what happened between them. He realized it was a little over the line to tell Dean to call Cas, but they really need to hash it out. Sam shuddered at the thought, _I'll make sure to hide the samurai sword first…_ he thought, before dozing off in his bed.

_**So, how did you like it? Make sure to leave a comment! They make my day! See ya next week! ~ Ad&amp;Al**_


	4. The Huntress

_**Hello everybody! It's Tuesday, so you know what that means; A new chapter of A Hunter's Heart. I have to say, I'm particularly proud of this chapter as it took me**_**_ AGES to write. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out though, so I hope you enjoy it!_**

_**Chapter 4**_

_**The Huntress**_

A lamp….

What was a lamp doing there?

The girl was just waking up from the strangest dream. She had finally gotten her harpoon gun to work. she knew that the only thing that could kill a vampire was decapitation, so she was headed to a field near her motel to practice shooting at some tin cans. While she was out, she happened upon a large vampire's nest. She quickly found her way into the building and on top of the rafters above the second floor feeding ground. _Ready to surprise some fangs_. Inside, she found two boys who talked as if they were hunters themselves. But before she could come down to introduce herself, they were attacked by 7 fanged fighters. The boys were taking good care of themselves, but as soon as his friend was knocked out, this 6-and-a-half foot giant became oblivious to the fang right in front of him. Worried, she quickly made her way down from the ceiling, got behind the mountain, and pointed her harpoon gun straight past him at the vampire . But, when he stood up, it _really_ looked like she was pointing it _at_ him. He raised his hands in surrender, but she cleared things up with one word, "_Duck,_". As soon as he was on the ground, she pulled the trigger. The next thing she knew, she had decapitated a vampire, shaken hands with a behemoth, and, before she could introduce herself, let darkness sweep over her.

Yeah. Vivid dream.

Now she was waking up in a room she had never seen before. All she could see was a lamp shining beside her. She was oddly comfortable. Within a few seconds she had worked out that she was in a room, in a bed with a nightstand beside her, and a lamp on top. A glass of water was half-way filled underneath the light. Tension swept over her as she realized that she didn't recognize this room or anything in it. She wasn't familiar with the feel of the mattress. She wasn't used to sleeping on a bed. Normally, she was stuck in the front seat of her van with, if she was lucky, a pillow.

A door creaked open ominously. She braced herself for what might be entering the room. Pretending to still be asleep, her eyes remained open just enough for her to see a large hand pour some liquid from a flask into the water beside her. The liquid was clear, and the flask was beat up. She had no way of knowing what she was being prompted to drink. One thing was clear; She had to take the offensive.

She started by reaching for the glass of water/liquid mixture. Breaking the glass on the edge of the nightstand, she found her weapon. She sat up, ignoring the raging pain in her hip, she had managed to surprise the man that had come in, and immediately started interrogating him, broken glass ready like a knife.

"Where am I?" She asked. The man's hands were raised, obviously surprised. She couldn't help but notice the flask in his left hand. When he didn't respond, she became impatient, "Where. Am. I." she said, slower this time. She inched closer to her captor.

"The bunker!" the man responded. What he said seemed to make perfect sense to him, but the girl was still in the dark.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" She asked

"Okay," the man chuckled, the laughter seemed out of place, what with his life being threatened and all, "whatever you want to know, I'll tell you. Just, put down the glass before you get hurt even more."

The girl thought it over. Without warning, her head started to hurt as she realized this was the man of her dreams. _Literally_. Before her stood a 6'4" man with puppy dog eyes and the fluffy hair to match. This was the behemoth from the vampire infested warehouse in her dreams. Her chest felt like it was caving in as she realized that she was now threatening the life of the man she saved. The huntress backed up a few paces, lowering the glass, as the man's arms fell to his side.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked, confusing the large puppy further, "your friend was hurt in the warehouse, not to mention, you did almost die."

"Who, Dean? He's fine, he takes a bigger beating just for fun. I'm fine, too. I've gotten a whole lot closer to death than that. What about you?"

"What _about_ me?" she asked, adrenaline covering up the pain from her assorted injuries.

"Wait, what do you remember?"

This question hit her like a ton of bricks. She backed up a few more feet and sat on the bed limply, broken glass still in hand. The man ran up to her, kneeling on the ground by the mattress, hoping she wouldn't pass out, but when she made eye contact with him, she couldn't help the smile on her face.

His eyes were concerned, caring, and the color of an open field. Green and brown combining, burning the image into her mind. _The most beautiful combination…_ she thought trying to keep her smile from growing and a blush appearing. Within a few seconds, his face softened, but he still seemed concerned. He sat up beside her on the bed as she shifted her gaze hesitantly away from his face, down to observe the rest of him. He was wearing a flannel shirt under a jacket. Jeans covering his legs.

"I'm Sam." He said, pulling her away from her thoughts, "Sam Winchester." She looked at him with admiration, but he only seemed more worried.

"What's wrong?" she asked, hoping she hadn't done something to upset him.

"Nothing," he said, "how are you feeling?"

"Fine," she pronounced, trying to seem tough and ignore the raging pain in her side. She set the broken glass down beside her as she itched her forehead, absentmindedly picking at something on her eyebrow.

"Don't pick," the man gently took her wrist away from the bandage covering her eyebrow and held it in her lap, unaware that his grip wasn't faltering.

After a long moment of kind stares, the girl broke the silence, "don't pick at what?" she asked him, distractedly, mindful only of the fact that his hand was still cradling her wrist. A light-hearted smile found it's way across Sam's face as he stood up and faced her, transitioning his grip on her wrist to a hold on her hand. He helped her stand up and faced her away from the door.

In front of them now was a clear view of the other side of the room. A desk stood in the corner opposite her bed and a mirror stood directly in front her attached to a set of drawers. What she saw there was a surprise. In the mirror, she could see what she had been picking at. A single butterfly stitch covered her eyebrow. Blood stained her lower shirt and darkened the right side of her pants further. Sam saw her fractured gaze and decided to explain.

"It's not that bad," he insisted, "a few stitches here, one there, a little bandage and you're good to go." he stated passively, pointing to her injuries as he described the severity of each one.

"Oh," realization sweeping over her, "thank you."

"Anytime. It's part of the gig." Her face broke away from the mirror and looked at him.

"You're a hunter too?" she asked, curiosity masking her pain.

"Yeah, Dean and I both,"

"Dean is…."

"The other hunter. He's my brother. He's a bit more stern, but he's human… sometimes." That got a chuckle out of the girl. Still gazing at each other, they seemed to forget that there were other, more pressing matters at hand. What seemed like an eternity passed before the woman's stomach interrupted them. The growling could probably be heard from the hallway.

"Oh, I'll go get you something to eat."

"Wait," the woman's hand stopped the man mid-turn from leaving the room. Suddenly, she remembered the flask, which had disappeared into the mans many layers of clothing, "what was in the flask."

Sam's eyes dimmed as he realized what that must have looked like. He immediately took the dented flask out of his jacket pocket and explained himself, "I swear I was not drugging you!" doubt flashed over the girls eyes as she realized her foolishness. _Why did I trust him. Just because I saved him doesn't mean he owes me anything._ Then, without questioning it, Sam took a large gulp out of the flask.

"_NO!_" the woman shouted, afraid of what might happen to the hunter. She looked in awe at the man, terror fading as understanding struck when she saw the cross on the flask. Her face softened as his did the same. Simultaneously, they said, "Holy water." Sam went on, "When I patched you up, I forgot to do the normal tests. Holy water, silver, borax, any reaction to any of those could mean you're not human."

"...and you were sneaking it into my drink because you didn't know how I would react." She finished, understanding the complexity of the situation.

"Yeah," Sam said, adding finality to his voice. The huntress reached her hand out, accepting the flask as well as the tests. Gripping the canteen tightly, she poured the contents of it into her mouth, swallowing and holding the empty container upside down. Sam smiled as he lowered his head and walked toward the desk on the other side of the room. He opened the top left drawer and held out a small bottle of cleaning fluid and a silver knife. The girl took them all willingly. She quickly sprayed some of the cleaning fluid on her right arm and held out her left for the hunter to cut. Sam began to protest, but she was very adamant. She took the silver knife from him and made a large slice on her forearm.

Having proven her humanity, she sat down on the bed and held her now bleeding arm. Sam took a piece of cloth from one of the drawers and wrapped it around her wound. He handed her 3 painkillers.

"I'll go get you some food now." he stated. The girl smiled as he opened the door. Before leaving, though, Sam peaked back at the girl. With a confused smile, he asked simply, "What was your name again?"

The huntress smirked, as she cleanly stated her name.

"Lexi."

_**Well, there you go! Thanks so much to the people who are following this story. Don't forget to Follow and Favorite to get the new chapters as soon as they come out. Comments are MUCH appreciated, they make my day! Thanks so much for reading! Ad&amp;Al**_


	5. Can we Keep Her?

_**Hey guys! Guess what day it is! UPLOAD TUESDAY! Hope you enjoy!**_

**_Chapter 5_**

**_Can we keep her?_**

Sam left the girl, Lexi, alone in the bedroom across from his. Having seen that Dean was not in his bedroom, Sam assumed that he would find Dean in the kitchen. So imagine his surprise when he found his brother drinking in the study. Laptop open in front of him and a beer in his hand, Dean looked troubled and Sam knew why. Sam, however, knew better than to confront his brother about an unanswered prayer that Dean had sent Cas. Still, Dean had seen Sam peeking into his room, so the memory of the encounter hung in the air.

"Find anything good?" Sam asked his brother, carefully avoiding the tender subject.

"Nothing," Dean closed his computer in frustration, "I thought there might have been a case in Indiana, but the police just closed it."

"Bummer,"

"Yeah, I really thought I had something there. How's the girl? Did you test her?"

"Yeah. She checks out. Not a demon, shapeshifter, or leviathan. 100% human, as far as I can tell."

"Okay," thinking and sitting back, Dean took a sip of his beer, "how's she holding up?"

"Good. She says she feels fine, but I want to give a day or two to make sure she's alright."

Dean glared at his younger brother, trying to read his thoughts, but to no avail.

"Alright, but as soon as she's healthy again, I want her out of our hair." Sam sighed, looking at Dean with big, brown, pleading puppy dog eyes eyes.

"Oh no. Oh, no," Dean responded, "She is not staying. No. No way. No!"

"Why not? As far as I can tell, she's all alone."

"As far as you can tell? Did she say so?"

"No, but-"

"'No, but-' what, Sammy? We're not running a pound here! You can't just come up to me and ask 'Can we keep it? Can we keep it?' like some 8 year old that just found a starving dog! It doesn't work that way!"

"Dean, don't act like we can't use the help. Ever since Kevin went back to live with his mom, we've been down a player. Bobby's gone. Garth is off living a 'normal' life with his werewolf wife. Not to mention the whole thing with Cas..." Hardly realizing the words coming out of his mouth, Sam's voice cut off just as the last note of the name got out. Sam's eyes widened as his unfinished sentence echoed through their minds. Oh, shit. Oh, Shit. OH, SHIT. He thought.

Dean's eyes narrowed and his face turned a bright red. Rather than standing up and screaming, (as Sam had expected), he did quite the opposite. His face lowered to stare at the ground. Without lifting his gaze, Dean said quietly, "you weren't supposed to see that". A swirling, storm of darkness had conquered the older brother in the months since the break-up, resulting in drinking, restless nights, and an attitude that no one dare challenge. Sams face softened at the sound of his brothers voice.

"Dean" He said. Voice full of sympathy. He took small, slow steps towards Dean.

"Dont. Just don't Sam." Dean said, the sadness in his voice being replaced by anger. "You really do not want to have this conversation with me."

"But I think you need to have this conversation." Sam retorted. Dean sighed heavily, preparing for the words he was about to say.

"Do you want me to say I'm sorry, Sam? Cause I'm not. I did nothing wrong! I saved that girl! It's not my fault Cas thought I was sleeping with her!"

"You could have explained, Dean, or at least tried to!" Sam said desperately.

"Do you think I didn't? He poofed out before I could get two words in edgewise. It's not like I'm gonna pray to him!"

"You say that like you didn't! I heard you, Dean! The Men of Letters may have been smart but they built these walls paper thin! You're drunk prayers kept me up most nights. For the first few weeks, I started praying for you to stop! It's unhealthy!" before Dean could interject, a new, softer voice entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering where the kitchen was," Lexi blushed, "I broke the only water glass I had."

"Of course," Sam said, "it's down the hall, third door on your left. Help yourself to the fridge."

"Thank you." She said as she turned her body to face Dean. Her hand protruded from her side expecting to shake his, "and, thanks, for helping me out. I'm Lexi."

"Dean." the older brother responded simply with his name and a forced smile, ignoring her hand. The boys watched as she went down the hall and out of earshot. Dean sighed heavily. "I'm not going to pretend like we don't need the extra help, but I don't know if she's a good match."

"You saw her back at that nest, she's a good hunter."

"What about baggage?" Dean asked.

"All she's got with her is the clothes on her back."

"NO! Not that baggage! emotional baggage. Her family, her past."

"I don't know, it's not like she told me her life story in there."

After a long moment of thought, Dean spoke up, a note of finality accenting his words.

"Look, we've got to finish off that nest of vampires anyway, but after she's strong enough to fight for herself, she's outta here."

"Dean,-"

"That's final, Sam." Dean opened his laptop again to signal the end of the conversation.

_**Well, Dean's pissed. Did you like it? Don't forget to Fav and Follow! Also, if you're feeling like AN AWESOME HUMAN BEING leave a comment to make my day! See ya next week! Ad&amp;Al**_


	6. He Appears

_**SURPRISE! Al and I have decided to start posting twice a week! That means you'll get one chapter on Tuesdays and ANOTHER on Fridays! We're super excited about this! Anyway, Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 6**_

_**The Angel Appears**_

_I'm glad I got there when I did…_ Lexi had just successfully saved her saviors from themselves. She could tell they were brothers just from the way they spoke to each other, she hadn't needed Sam to tell her that. It was also pretty obvious that Dean did not like her. She pondered the reasons why while she walked down the hallway towards the kitchen.

At first glance, the kitchen was spotless. Stainless steel _everything, _but with a second look, Lexi could see that it was also well lived-in. There was a table that had recently been used for making a sandwich, the cutting board and spared vegetable innards were sitting in one side of the sink. A quick search of the cabinets led her to the glasses. She took one and filled it with water from the tap. As Lexi leaned against the table, her left arm crossed under the right, which was holding the glass of water, she was wondering what she could expect from the brothers she had met. Friendship? Family? A fling? Or was she over-analyzing everything and would she be gone in a day or two, never to see the brothers again? She thought of how comfortable Sam had made her room, how cozy it was compared to the van she lived in. Lexi loved her van almost more than life itself, but its passenger seat was almost certainly _not_ meant to be slept in every night. That fact was made clear by the crook in her back.

Without warning, a figure appeared out of thin air, his back to the huntress. "Dean, I-," he spoke whilst turning around to face the woman. His trenchcoat spun like a carousel, its ribbon threatening to slice anyone who came too close. His face was confused, then angry. Blue eyes shining under brown hair that had been perfectly tousled, he seemed to rush to a conclusion. Only a few moments had passed with him there, and only two words half-spoken, but it seemed obvious that this man, whoever he was, hated the girl.

Lexi was just about to question the man, when he disappeared into thin air. Instead, she was left with a handful of questions. Of all the things she had expected, that was certainly not one of them.

_**Yay! Okay, so I know it's super short, but interesting all the same! I hope you liked it! Last time a guest user commented and it made my day! She said she wanted more, so here you go. Follow, Favorite, and Share with your friends! Comment to make me happy! Ad&amp;Al**_


	7. Angel?

_**It's TUESDAY! *party noises* This one is a little short, but I think we'll make up for it with posting twice a week! ^u^ Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 7**_

_**Angel?**_

Sam walked into the kitchen, hoping to find that Lexi had made herself at home. Naturally, he was concerned when he walked into the room to find Lexi with both hands on the table and a cup of water next to her hand. Her face looked so distraught, like she just found out she was adopted. Her arms were straight out so that she was practically reaching down to the table where she held herself up. Sam rushed to her side.

"What's wrong?" he said hastily, hoping that he hadn't hurt her medically. He wasn't exactly, _certified_ to do her stitches, but they certainly weren't the first he'd done.

"What the hell kind of pain killers did you put me on?!" she asked, curiosity combining with grief.

"...Ibuprofen, why?"

"Because, I think I just hallucinated," She stood up straight and began to describe her experience, "I had just gotten some water, and this man just appeared, out of nowhere!" Sams face became blank. "He was wearing a trenchcoat…" Sam now had an expression on his face that was more scared than anything else. "He was looking for Dean." she finished.

"And that was all he said?" Sam inquired, he was itching to know more.

"Well, that was all he said. I don't think he liked me very much. The way he looked at me was unnerving. Then he just vanished!" Sam was covering his eyes with his hands and moved them up to pull back his hair. "I know, it sounds crazy, I figured it must be something in the medicine that you gave me, or-,"

"Nope."

"Okay, then who, or what, was it?"

"His name is Castiel. He's an angel." Sam said this in passing as if it were the least of their worries.

"Wait, did you just say, angel?"

"Yeah," Sam was pacing at this point. Lexi was only concerned with what she needed to know to stop him from panicking.

"Well, he didn't have a halo or wings or anything, so…" Lexi let her sentence run off, like she expected to be told that he wasn't really an angel and she must have been mistaken.

"Well, that's not his true form." Sam stated, pausing his walk to explain the situation, "apparently, his true form is about the size of the chrysler building, but he took the man you saw, Jimmy Novak, as a vessel."

"Okay," Lexi responded as if she understood perfectly. She began to digest the situation surrounding her. Sam had no reason to lie to her, so she had no reason to doubt him. Deductions like that made life easier. "So let's go tell Dean," She finished, as if it were the obvious option.

"NO!" Sam put one hand on each of her shoulders and looked down at the woman. While Lexi _was_ pretty tall, 6', Sam still stood towering above her, succeeding in getting her attention, "Dean, can't know about this," he lifted his hands and took a step back after realizing how close they were. "He and Cas have a… past. One that would _definitely_ interfere with the hunt. I'll tell him after we get back. For now, you rest."

"Wait a minute, 1) What kind of a past? and 2) What hunt?"

"Well, after we got you out of the vampire nest, there were still at least a dozen more of them. We decided we would go back and finish them off after we rested up a bit."

"Okay, when do we leave?"

Sam smirked as if he was hoping she would ask that.

"I'm not sure," he responded, though Lexi got the feeling it was more of a challenge than anything else, "you should go ask Dean."

_**Yay! So, like I said, super short. But, not to worry! for the next three weeks we'll be posting twice a week. After that, we might take a little break. What do you think? Follow, Favorite, and Tell your friends if you enjoyed! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	8. It's Dean's Choice

_**FRIDAY UPLOAD TIME! yay! Here you go! Sorry for the shortness!**_

_**Chapter 8**_

_**It's Dean's Choice**_

Lexi left the kitchen with her arms crossed. She could tell something was going on, but there was nothing she could do about it, except go ahead and ask Dean when they were leaving.

Sam followed her as she walked into the study where Dean was getting out duffel bags and filling them with supplies. Dean hadn't even bothered to turn around by the time he chose to speak.

"How is she?" he asked, obviously absent to the fact that Lexi had walked in.

"Good," Lexi responded. Dean whipped his head around to see Lexi, arms still crossed, smirking at him.

"Good," Dean said, turning back around, "nice move, with the harpoon gun. Definitely was not expecting that."

"Thanks," Lexi responded. She was so tempted to tell him about the Angel Castiel that she felt herself loosen up a bit. Whatever history they had was no doubt hurting Dean, she didn't like to see people hurt.

As Lexi saw her harpoon gun on the table, she reached for it and loaded it, safety on. She was pretty proud of herself, so she saw no shame in showing it off. To her surprise, Dean actually looked impressed for a minute before turning back to the bags.

"It should be useful on the hunt," she said.

"Yeah, you'll have to show me how to use it." Dean responded in passing.

"Sorry, I've only got the one, maybe some other time,"

"Wait," Dean stopped her before she could go on, "you're not going."

"What do you mean I'm not going?"

"I mean you're not going. You just got stabbed for cryin out loud!"

"I'm fine." Lexi responded, her voice strong, but she was still in pain. She decided she would ask Sam for some more painkillers later.

"Sorry, but you're obviously not. Sam and I are gonna leave late tonight. Don't worry, we'll survive."

Lexi looked up at him, "I'll be waiting by the door." And with that, she left and went back to the room that the boys had prepared for her. She knew she wasn't welcome, but she had to make sure that they knew she meant business. The only thing left was to ask Sam where the door was.

**_Hope you liked it! Follow and Favorite! Tell your friends! Oh! And comment. There's a special place in my heart for anybody who comments! Thanks a bunch! ~Ad&amp;Al_**


	9. The Hunt Resumes

So sorry about the mix-up! My computers all wacky and posts the story's coding sometimes. Whoops! 

A special Shoutout to Katiefall for letting me know via PM. We owe you one!

So here you go!

Chapter 9

The Hunt Resumes

That night came and went by in a flash. Dean was,of course, obstinate about Lexi not attending the raid, but his brother eventually wore him down. Sam also managed to slip Lexi some extra fun pain medication, so she would could handle herself that night. Not only did she handle herself, she managed to save Sam and Dean. Again.

After the hunt, the team was walking away from the large building and towards Baby. Dean was obviously pissed that HE wasn't able to save Sam or himself, but he was kind of occupied at the time. Being pinned down by a fang and a half will cause you to get tunnel vision. Lexi saw how busy Dean was, so she took care of Sam herself. She did it rather brilliantly, too. Sam was being beat by a few vamps next to his brother one floor below where Lexi was flattening a few of her own predators. Once she finished them off, she saw Sam through a hole in the ground that was about four feet long and three feet wide. The only thing separating them was a few very flimsy pieces of wood. A few kicks and a bad-ass jump later, Lexi was defeating the rest of the vampires one by one. They managed to get out with just a few scrapes and bruises. Nothing they couldn't handle.

Suffice to say, she was still pretty proud of herself when they got in the car. She sat in the backseat behind Dean, who was driving. Every few minutes, Sam would peek back at her with a smile on his face. He was proud too.

When they got back to the bunker, Dean went inside immediately, leaving Lexi and Sam to unload the trunk of the car. As Sam handed Lexi a duffle bag and started unpacking his own, he took this opportunity to talk to Lexi about the plan.

"Great job out there. I owe you one!"

"No problem," Lexi responded, "I'd say we're just about even."

"Yeah. Um, I was actually gonna ask you a favor." Sam stated hesitantly.

"What's up?" Lexi asked, concerned. She was ready to do anything to prove herself and was looking forward to being given the opportunity, but she didn't know what to expect.

"When we go inside, I need you to just head straight for your room." Lexi was a little bit taken back by the request.

"Okay… can I ask why?"

"I'm gonna tell Dean about your encounter with our friendly neighborhood angel."

"Ohhhh!" Lexi burst, "that makes sense. Sure! I'll go to my room until you say it's okay to come out."

"Thanks, I just don't want you to see Dean that pissed."

They went inside and Lexi happily obliged as to the younger brothers request. She sat in the room that Sam had prepared for her, took out a first aid kit, and slowly tended to a few of her scrapes.

_**Fav, Follow, and Comment! Love you guys! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	10. Communication Skills

**_I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON. Al and I BOTH forgot to upload a chapter last Friday. We feel really bad about it. We may or may not have spent the better part of an hour slapping each other in the face for forgetting... AnYwAy... This Friday will be the last chapter we upload before we take a short break. It'll probably be just a week or two, but a break none-the-less. _**

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10

Communication Skills

Sam made his way into the study where Dean was sitting with a beer, already open. He was nervous about facing his older brother, especially since it was about Cas, but it had to be done. So, naturally, Sam tiptoed around the subject before breaking his way into Dean's thoughts.

"Hey," Sam began.

"Good hunt…" Dean stated. Sam could tell that his brother didn't want to talk, but he kept pressing.

"Yeah," Sam continued, "Lexi did pretty good on her feet,"

"She was alright,"

"Alright? She saved both of our asses.

Dean, woozy from a long day and a hard battle conceded quickly, "Yeah, I guess she could have done worse, considering her injuries."

Sam saw an opportunity and went for it. "She's tough. I do wish I could heal her faster, though." Dean's head bowed, he could tell where this train was headed, and he didn't like the direction.

"I'm not calling him, Sam."

"Why not?" Sam was practically yelling.

"In case you haven't noticed," Dean gestured to the beer bottles he had been hoarding, "we didn't exactly end on good terms!"

"Just call him!"

"And then what? I wouldn't even know what to say!"

"Well, you might have to figure that out pretty soon." Sam was trying hard to make his point, but Dean wouldn't listen for long enough to hear him out.

"Shut your mouth, Sammy, I gotta do this on my own damn time."

"We haven't got the time, Dean! Cas just appea-"

"Stop." Dean interrupted Sam before he could explain what had happened. "Don't push me, don't make me call, and, for god's sake, DON'T SAY HIS NAME." A long moment of silence was broken by a single syllable from Dean's mouth.

"Go."

_**I know it was a pretty short chapter, but we'll make up for it this Friday. Al wrote the upcoming chapter and she did a GREAT job with it! We hope you liked it! Fav and Follow and don't forget to comment if you want to make our days! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	11. Confrontation

Thanks again to Katiefall for letting me know that my computer was screwy! This is a really amazing chapter and all the credit goes to my co-writer, Al. Here you go!

Chapter 11

Confrontation

Sam left the room and Dean was still pissed.

Sam had no right to bring HIM into their conversation. Sam didn't know everything, and neither did Cas. Cas... just thinking about the angel caused pain in Dean's chest. He shook the thoughts away in attempt to rid himself of the pain. He raised his beer bottle to his lips, taking a gulp in hopes to forget this whole thing. But as Dean went to sit down, there was a gust of air and the sound of wings. Dean spun around to face the intruder dropping and breaking his beer bottle in the process. Green eyes met Blue for the first time in months.

"Cas" Dean gasped, not believing what he's seeing. Cas was rushing towards his hunter.

"What the hell do you mean, you don't regret anything?!" the angel yelled, shoving Dean back a few feet.

"I didn't do anything to regret!" Dean yelled back, he stalked back to Cas, getting into his face. Castiel glared up at Dean, scowling angrily, the words from the hunter's mouth enraging him even more.

"You cheated on me, asshole!"

"I saved her, I didn't sleep with her!" Cas shook his head, not believing the hunter. Dean growled and shoved the angel into one of the pillars expanding from the ground to the ceiling.

"Don't tell me what I did or didn't do," the hunter spat the venom-laces words into the angel's face. Castiel unsuccessfully tried to hold back a cringe.

"I dont believe you, Dean."

"Why the hell not Cas?" the rage inside of Dean was growing uncontrollably. Why won't he just believe me?

Castiel didn't answer Dean. he only glared, and if looks could kill, Dean would be dead. Again.

"Answer me, cas, why don't you believe me?" Dean questioned with a calmer tone.

"You've never been in a relationship."

"What about Lisa?"

"Look how that ended, you only do one night stands and only with women. Not to mention you lie professionally." Cas spat his anger at Dean. Both of them were hurt and broken. Each thought that this would be the last of them, together that is. Both were confused just wanting to be happy again.

"You could have let me explain that night," Dean growled, anger still boiling inside of him. Castiel shoved the hunter away from him.

"Why? So you could lie even more?" the angel glanced at the hunter, then turned to leave. Before he realized what he was doing, Dean grabs Cas's arm.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Cas jerked his arm out of Dean's grasp.

"To my room," cas spat, "we're done here." the hunter watched what used to be his walk through the door and down the hall. Dean shook his head, choking back any emotions bubbling up. He took a deep breath, ran his hands down his face, then focused on the broken beer bottle. How am I going to explain this to Sam?

**Yay! Quick reminder; we won't be posting this week. We're gonna take a bit of a break to get caught up writing, but we'll be back next week with updates on Tuesdays and Fridays. Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and anybody who comments on this chapter will get a special shoutout! Thanks so much guys!**


	12. The Voices Told Me To

_**Back from break! Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 12**_

_**The Voices Told me to.**_

_Grace. She will save us._

The pleading words echoed in Castiel's mind when he woke up in his room. Of course, still having half of his grace meant that he didn't require sleep unless a severe case exhausted him, he had merely been resting in his room. Then again, it wasn't even his room. It was a spare room in the bunker that he had claimed as his own. Across the hall from Dean's, their rooms were practically identical.

Castiel sat straight up in the bed. He wasn't sure of the time, but the distant clanging of pots and plates told him it was morning. And morning meant breakfast. Castiel hadn't changed out of his normal suit and trenchcoat from the previous day and saw no need to do so for the morning meal. So, he made his way slowly to the kitchen.

Once he arrived, he was greeted with a rather awkward situation. Dean was standing by the stove, cooking what seemed to be pancakes. He looked up at Castiel for just a moment before going back to the baking batter. Around the table were Sam and… _her…._ The girl. Castiel could only think bad thoughts about her. Ever since Dean had cheated on him, Castiel was bitter about checking in on the Winchesters. And when he finally does, he runs into Dean's _girlfriend_ in the kitchen.

Dean brought a large plate of pancakes to the table when he sat down opposite Sam, leaving Cas the chair across from Lexi. Lexi was the first to break the silence.

"Hi, I'm Lexi." She told Cas, expecting him to introduce himself, but his only reply was a scowl. _Lexi… that's a whore's name if I ever heard one._ The next person to speak was Sam.

"This is Castiel."

"Nice to meet you Castiel." Lexi gave her reply as happily as she could, only annoying the angel further. Castiel, still having said nothing was only sitting there. He couldn't think of anything to say or do. Sam was trying his best to make conversation, but only Lexi was willing to participate. Thankfully, Dean chose this time to pass around the pancakes.

After a while, Lexi looked up at Castiel. Almost as if she were mustering up the courage to speak.

Noticing his plate remained empty, she nervously asked, "Are you hungry? Or do angels even need to eat,". The brothers exchanged a look and Dean suddenly glared at Lexi.

"How did you know?"

"How did I know what?" Lexi asked innocently

"Nobody ever said he was an angel. How did you know." Dean pressed, the protectiveness in his voice was clear.

Sam was the next to speak up.

"I, may have... briefed her last night."

"Wow, Sam. You told a total stranger our entire life story?!"

"No! Just the part about Cas being an angel. That's all."

"Why would you just tell her about Cas?"

Sam looked to Castiel for _that_ answer.

"Cas?" Dean was about ready to pop when Castiel spoke for the first time that day.

"I was merely answering your prayers." he stated meekly. As pissed as Cas was, a mad Dean was the last thing he felt like dealing with right now. However, it was too late. Dean rose from his chair, the sudden movement knocking it back. The loud crash on the floor was coupled by the sound of Dean's hands hitting the table.

"Now?! You decided to answer me _NOW?_ I've been praying for _months_, Cas. What the hell kind of position were you in, that made so that you couldn't respond to me for the past 6 months, but, all of a sudden, you decide to pop up and 'Answer my prayers'!"

Castiel was getting more and more mad by the second. "Dean, if you would just let me explain…"

"No! I'm done with you! You haven't been listening to me, so why should I listen to you?" The hunter's shouting had been leading Castiel to the breaking point. It was only a matter of minutes until..

"No!" Castiel had snapped. He assumed the same position as Dean, hands on the table and chair flung behind him. "_I_ am done with _YOU_. I've been listening to your prayers. I could just hardly hear them through all the LIES. You say you didn't cheat, but the second I get here, I run into _her_ in the kitchen!" Castiel pointed to a pale Lexi, "It's not that I couldn't answer you, it's that I didn't care enough to make the trip!"

"Oh, really?" Dean shouted, "Then why the hell are you here?"

Castiel's eyes fell to the table as he remembered the voices. _Grace. She will save us. _For some reason they were louder, almost clearer, now.

"I… I need your help." He said quietly. Dean responded quickly.

"Ha! You come in here all mad and shouting and then ask _us_ for help? Sorry, no can do."

"Do you think I wanted to come down here?" Castiel was no longer shouting, only speaking, trying to get through to Dean. "The matter that has arisen is so bad, no angel as ventured to solve it and come back alive."

Dean's stance softened. He shook his head as he turned around and picked up the chair. Castiel mirrored him and they both sat down.

"Okay," Dean said with a tired sigh, "Start from the beginning."

_**CLIFFHANGER whoa. surprise surprise. NOTE; there's been a change of plans. This week, I'll be uploading the next chapter on Thursday instead of Friday, as I will be out of town this weekend. But, next week will be a regular schedule. Also, I'm considering uploading something like an authors note. If I do, It will be a short "journal entry" to keep you guys up on where we're at writing-wise. Please let me know if you'd like something along those lines by either commenting or PM'ing me. Feel free to ask questions! Thank You! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	13. The Task at Hand

_**Yay! Lucky number 13! This will be posted today instead of tomorrow, because I will be out of town. On Wattpad, kellic4eva (a.k.a. Al) Will be uploading tomorrow.**_

_**Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 13**_

_**The Task at Hand**_

"When the angels fell," Castiel started, "they were all looking for vessels and some found one. Although, many died. And when they died, being cast out from heaven, they remained stuck in the veil."  
"The veil?" Lexi's voice interrupted Castiel glared, but explained further.

"The place between life and heaven or hell." Lexi seemed content at this, so the angel continued. "The veil is where they remained, or so we assumed." Castiel was trying to choose the next words kindly, but the right combination was hard to find. "Once we opened the gates to heaven, a few garrisons went into the veil to look for the angels and bring them back home. But, after a few weeks of searching, none of the angels were found."

"Maybe they found a way out." Sam suggested, but Castiel's first response was a chuckle.

"In all the years you have been hunting, has the answer ever been that easy?" Sam shrugged at this.

"So, where are they?" Lexi spoke, engulfed in the story she was being told. Castiel momentarily ignored his hatred for her to answer her question and continue his explanation.

"We believe… we believe that Crowley has captured them and is torturing them in the deepest levels of Hell."

"And what makes you think that?" Sam asked after a moment of stunned silence. Cas sighed as he tried to figure out a way to explain.

"Angels are complex beings,"

"More like complex _douchebags_." Dean muttered. Cas only glared, then continued.

"The angels that are higher on the chain of command can sense when an angel, any angel, is in pain. Namely, Baruchiel is the angel with power over pain and strife."

"Bah- hoosy- what's?" Dean tried.

"Baruchiel."

"Isn't that a Jewish thing?" Sam asked.

"No," Lexi told Sam, "You're thinking Baruch-atah."

All eyes went to Lexi.

"What?" she asked, "I know things!"

Sam looked back at Castiel. "Still, angels could be in pain from a lot of other things. Are you sure we're not just looking for a demon with a grudge?"

"Yes. I am certain." Castiel retorted. "Plus, angel radio has been calling for me."

"What's it saying?" Sam asked.

"_Grace. She will save us._ I can track the signal far back enough to know it's coming from hell and coming from angels."

"So, what do we have to do with it." Dean asked, looking into the angel's eyes.

"Dean, the Winchester name is famous for coming back from hell. You _and_ your brother have gone there and returned. We need your help."

"What makes you think we would want to help you?" Dean asked.

Sam looked at his brother, "There are angels who need our help, Dean. We can't just ignore them."

The older brother sighed. He knew that the angels needed his help, but the fact that his Ex was asking made it seem less pleasing.

"Fine," Dean reluctantly agreed. "We'll help with the case after we get her back to…" Dean pointed to Lexi, then faced her, questions momentarily covered his face before he turned back to the angel," Wherever the hell she lives."

Sam's face suddenly fell. He didn't want her to leave. He didn't know why, but there was something about this girl that seemed like she should be with them, with _him_. But what could possibly convince Dean to let Lexi stay, even if just for a few days?

"She can't leave yet," Sam blurted out, all eyes went to him, "I checked her stitches this morning and I think they're infected." Lexi looked over to Sam with a confused expression on her face. A split second of eye contact and Lexi understood what was happening. _Wow, he really wants me to stay. _Dean looked displeased at this. Lexi gave him a shrug and a look that said _Whatcha gonna do? _

Dean reacted with a sigh as he rubbed his forehead, trying to avoid the ever-present headache. Sam tried to ease his brother by coming up with a plan.

¨Okay, Dean, you go with Lexi to get her some clean clothes," Sam said, "I'll stay here with Cas and call Kevin to see if we can't find a way into hell, okay?"

A moment of silence took place as everyone watched Dean process the plan. Until, finally, Dean sighed and walked out of the kitchen. Odd looks were exchanged before they heard him call for Lexi, "You coming, blondie?" Lexi ran after Dean, stopping only long enough to give Sam a short smile.

Sam looked up at the angel Castiel, "Well, let's get started."

**_Did you like it? If you did, and we hope you did, remember to Favorite, Follow, and Comment telling us what you thought!_**


	14. Common Ground

**_I haven't got anything to say. except that you're all awesome. so there..._**

_**Chapter 14**_

_**Common Ground**_

Lexi was following Dean, walking outside the bunker to the Impala. She tried her best to smile as she got in the passenger seat. Dean glanced at her as he started the car and pulled out of the lot.

"So," Dean started, "Where am I taking you?"

"Oh, I live a few blocks north of the vamp nest."

"What? You're kidding me. That place is in the middle of nowhere!"

"Oh, you'll see when we get there. Got any music?"

"Yeah," Dean looked her way before putting in one of his cassette tapes. Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC started playing throughout the car.

"Sweet! I love this song! Turn it up!" Lexi exclaimed.

Needless to say, Dean was impressed by this. Usually when he turned on the radio, he could hardly hear it over Sam's groaning.

"Finally, someone with a decent taste in music!" Dean chuckled. For the next few minutes, the Impalas radio was at full blast. As the last note seeped out of the speakers, Dean reached to the volume knob and turned it until the music was almost silent. The notes of the next song hummed as Dean looked to his passenger. "So," Dean started, "tell me a little bit about yourself." Lexi looked at him with a confused face before she continued.

"Well, my hobbies include reading, driving, listening to music, and killing vampires," Lexi said with a voice imitating that of an announcer.

"Okay…" Dean said, he saw where this was going.

"I also enjoy sunsets and long walks on the beach,"

"Very funny…"

"But I would have to say my ultimate goal is to achieve world peace by killing one Sabre-toothed vampire at a time."

"Haha…"

"Now, for the trivia portion of the pageant!"

"I get it!" Dean laughed, "I was just wondering."

"What do you want me to say? My favorite color is blue. My middle name is Grace. Even though I constantly listen to AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, I still enjoy the musical stylings of Taylor Swift. There's not much to know."

"Look, I get it. I just figured, you know, Sam and I have a history that got us into this business, I thought you would too."

Lexi smiled at the driver. She could tell that he meant well, but her story wasn't one she flaunted.

"Sorry," she chuckled, "you've got to be at least a level 4 friend to unlock my tragic backstory." Dean smiled at this and reached for the radio once more, drowning out any potential conversation with classic rock.

Soon enough, they passed the now empty warehouse. A few blocks beyond that, Lexi's smile grew as she pointed to the left of the street. Dean had almost not noticed the van parked there. It was rusted and falling apart. There was a pair of stuffed dice hanging from the rearview mirror, and the seats were torn up. Dean had barely put the Impala in park by the time Lexi was out the door and racing to the van. Leading Dean behind it, she lifted the back wall of the vehicle and said, with a proud smile on her face, "This… is my battle van."

With the back now open, Dean could see inside and saw that it was very well lived in. A small map of America had pins popping out in a few states and pieces of yarn zig-zagged across it. Pictures of families were nailed to the sides, giving the van a rather innocent look. Lexi read Deans face and smirked at him. She reached out and grabbed a random piece of fabric that was dangling from where the ceiling met the wall and pulled it. Within a few seconds, an innocent scooby-doo van was transformed into an armored truck. Lexi had pulled down the false wall to reveal weaponry of all shapes and sizes attached to it. Machetes, shotguns, pistols, you name it, were all safely tucked onto the sides of the van. Not to mention old glass Coca~cola bottles filled with what seemed to be dead mans blood, it became obvious that Lexi was definitely prepared.

"Do you like it?" Lexi asked. Dean suddenly became aware of his dropped jaw and amazed expression. Embarrassed, Dean straightened himself up, trying to find the words.

"Yeah," he said, shrugging, "So, where do you keep your clothes?"

Lexi turned to the passengers seat of the van. She opened the glove box to reveal a cramped pile of shirts and pants. She grabbed a few of each and stuffed them in a nearby duffle bag.

"Is that all?" Dean asked, ready to get back to the bunker.

"Yeah," Lexi responded. She lifted the panel to give the van a fake wall again and was about to step out of the vehicle when she lingered.

"You alright?" Dean asked, reaching for the keys in his pocket.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lexi reached out to the wall of pictures. Feeling the walls, memories flooded her mind. Countless hunts and infinite laughs took place right where she was standing.

"You know," Dean started, "We have a garage. At the bunker, I mean. There's plenty of room for this thing."

"Really!" Lexi practically shouted. She put her arms up to her chest like a child who was just told to get ready for DisneyLand.

"Yeah. Believe me, if anyone can understand a sentimental attachment to a car, I can." Dean gestured to his beloved Impala as Lexi climbed into her driver's seat. She looked back at Dean with a challenging glare. "I'll race ya'!"

_**Yay! Newest chapter! I hope it's a little longer. I've been trying to make th chapters longer, but I'm writing really far ahead, so you might not see the results right away. ANYWAY. Make sure to favorite, follow, and Comment any question, concerns, confusions or if you just feel like talking! Comments always make us happy! Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoyed! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	15. Things Revealed

_**FRIDAY UPDATE! The chapters are starting to get longer! *yay* Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 15**_

_**Things Revealed **_

Back at the bunker, Sam was holding his phone up to his ear with his shoulder and was flipping through the pages of an old book.

"Yeah….. Alright….. Thanks Kevin… okay….. yeah….. Say hi to your mom for me… No! Don't put her on, just, tell her I said hi….. okay…..yeah….. bye." Sam finished his conversation with the prophet as Cas entered the room carrying a few books of his own.

"And how is our prophet?" he asked.

"Good! I asked him about a way into hell and he said he wasn't sure, but he's gonna look at the tablets for us."

"Very well," Cas hesitated, "and, what news on the girl?"

"Who, Lexi? She's fine." Sam smiled.

"Why did you tell Dean her stitches were infected?" Sam tensed up.

"What do you mean? They are!" Cas looked up at the hunter with a doubting look on his face. "Okay, don't tell Dean. But, I want her to stay."

"Why would Dean not want her to stay? Does he not enjoy their coitus?"

Sam laughed so hard he started choking. "What?! You think Dean and Lexi are having sex?!" he managed to get out in between bouts of laughter.

Castiel cocked his head, then looked to the ground, thinking. "I merely assumed."

"Well," Sam said, wiping tears from his eyes. "You assumed wrong. Even if…." Sam looked up, then down to one of the books, "nah… he's still totally hung up on you."

A deadly silence hit the room in the moments after Sam spoke. He was only just realizing what he had said.

"Oh, my God. Don't tell Dean I said that. _Do NOT _tell Dean I said that!"

Castiel didn't seem to be listening though, his eyes were closed and his head was cocked to the side as if he was trying to hear something.

"That's strange." he said, opening his eyes and looking at Sam.

"What? Angel radio acting up?"

"No, quite the opposite actually. It seems quieter now. It was very loud this morning."

"When? At breakfast?"

"Yes, I couldn't help but notice its fluctuations. The angels seemed very loud at breakfast, but calmer with just you and I."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, interested in what the angel had to say.

"It's probably nothing. Most likely, it's a sign of my grace fading."

At that moment, car doors could be heard closing as Lexi and Dean arrived in the garage. _That's odd…_ Sam thought, _I wonder why he came in the garage._ That thought was interrupted by the garage doors closing as Lexi and Dean made their entrance.

"Hey!" Sam exclaimed, he was happy to see Lexi again, especially after what Cas had said about her and Dean, "Why'd you come in the garage?" he asked. Dean looked to Lexi for the answer but she was already answering.

"I drove my van back here! Dean said there was room in the garage, so he let me bring her back!" Deans face was smiling, looking at her excitement amused Dean, who was looking at her as if she were a child.

"Van?" Sam asked, smile covering his face.

"Oh! I'll show you!" Lexi grabbed Sam by the wrist and lead him towards the garage, leaving Cas and Dean alone.

Dean had hardly entered the room that Cas was in when he saw that Cas was now sitting down at one of the tables, holding his head up with his hands. Dean wanted to avoid an awkward situation, so he was about to leave. However, memories were stirred and Dean remembered a happier memory from months ago.

~Castiel sat in a position very much like the one he was in now. Sitting over a steaming cup of coffee, the angel, whose grace was fading, held his head up with his hands. He was zoned out, probably thinking about something very important when Dean snuck up behind him. Dean's arm wrapped around the angel from behind as he kissed Cas's head. Castiel tensed up, but relaxed when he realized it was his own hunter.

"I had a good time last night." Dean said, kissing Cas on the head, "Do you even remember what show we were watching?"

"No," Castiel responded, "I hardly remember anything besides trying to fit my wings under the covers."

"Oh! So, that's why I was so cozy!"

Castiel laughed at such a childish word coming out of such a masculine mouth.

"I could have made you warmer," Castiel lead on, "if you weren't wearing so many layers." Dean knew where this conversation was going. He smiled.

"Maybe I'll let you underneath them soon, take a chunk of that grace for myself." Dean was hinting big time at what Castiel wanted, but Castiel only squinted and cocked his head at the hunter. "Sex, Cas. I'm talking about sex." Cas's eyes widened as he realized what his hunter was insinuating.

"Why are you interested in consummating our relationship all of a sudden?" Castiel asked.

"Well," Dean said, sitting down next to his angel, "it might have something to do with the fact that the anniversary of our first kiss is next week…".

Castiel smiled, "I thought you had forgotten." he blushed as he took a sip of his coffee.

"You think I'd forget? Please, I'll never forget the first time I finally manned up and kissed you." They smiled. "No way. I've got big plans for next week."~

Dean shook his head, trying to forget such a happy time. He quietly left to the library as he tried to will the blush out of his cheeks.

_**Did you like it? Please leave us a comment and let us know what you thought of it! Follow, Favorite, and tell your friends! Thanks so much! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	16. Stand Next to Fire Portal

_**Chapter 16**_

_**Stand Next to Fire Portal**_

Sam was startled by Lexi grabbing his wrist, but he was even more startled when she showed him where she had been living. A run down van was doubling as her home. For how long, the hunter had no idea, but even if it were just for a few days, that would have been too long.

But the pride in her smile as she revealed the fake wall of the van gave Sam pause. She was practically jumping up and down as she asked Sam what he thought of it. He chuckled as he saw the obviously hand-made pockets that fit the machetes perfectly. The dead man's blood that lined the floor and the boxes of ammunition that were stacked high seemed like they were put there with tetris-like precision. On the other side of the van, boxes of cereal and bottles of water were strewn about, mostly packed up against the wall. Sam tried to maintain a smile as he wondered what kind of position she was in. The Winchester brothers hadn't had a home since Sam was 6 months old, but they had never been _homeless_. Not like Lexi. But then, this could be her home. Sam was contemplating what Lexi's life had been like when he realized he had not acknowledged the huntress's unspoken question.

"I love it!" Sam said, and relief washed over Lexi, who had been waiting anxiously for Sam to react. "How long have you been living here?"

"For a while…" Lexi responded. It was obvious she had no desire to talk about her current living situation, so Sam backed off.

"This is awesome!" Sam said. He gestured to the van as he tried to change topics. "How did you convince Dean to let you bring it here?"

"I didn't." Lexi said, sitting down on the truck bed, "He just said that I could."

"He does have a soft spot for cars."

"I could tell. He was practically stroking that Impala!" Lexi laughed. Sam chuckled at this too, but he was cut off by his phone ringing. He picked it up and told Lexi to go inside. Lexi wasn't happy with this order and protested. She refused to leave from her now leaning position in the bed of her car.

"I have to talk to him!" Sam said. He pointed to the entrance into the bunker expecting Lexi to use it, but she only responded with a question.

"Who!?"

"Hey Kevin!" Sam quickly covered the receiver of the phone to whisper something to Lexi. _He's a prophet! _he mouthed/whispered. This caused her face to pale as she realized the possible significance of such a caller. She turned and left, allowing Sam to start a conversation on the phone. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah, um…." Kevin trailed off, leaving Sam guessing.

"Kev?" Sam asked, "you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. The Tablet just got harder to read… weird. Anyway, it wasn't even in the tablets. I remember reading something about a backdoor to hell in a book."

"A book?"

"Yeah, it was in the bunker. In the Men of Letters index, it was called something like 'Stand… stand next to fire portal."

"Stand next to fire portal?" Sam said, doubt dripping from every syllable.

"I don't know! It was in latin, I don't remember!"

"Wait, was it 'Stans ad Inferna Porta'?"

"Yeah! That was it! How did you know?"

"You're not the only one who speaks latin, Kevin. Thanks so much!"

"Anytime. See ya'."

"See ya'."

Sam ran into the bunker, knowing exactly what he needed and where it was.

**_Sorry for the short chapters! Al hasn't been feeling 100% recently, so let's keep her in our thoughts! However short this chapter may be, the next one is one of my favorites, so stay tuned! Follow, Favorite, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE leave a comment! We love comments! (Maybe leave one for Al, in hopes she'll feel better?) Anyway! Hope you enjoyed! ~Ad&amp;Al_**


	17. Sould Searching

_**Yay! NEW CHAPTER! This is one of my favorite chapters so far, next only to the Huntress. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!**_

_**Chapter 17**_

_**Soul Searching**_

Sam entered the library to find his brother flipping through an old book.

"Hiding from Cas?" Sam asked offhandedly .

"Am not!" Dean looked offended, but blushed all the same.

"Alright, whatever you say." Sam scanned the shelves of books for the one he was looking for.

"What's up?" Dean asked.

"I just got off the phone with Kevin and he said there's a book in her that can help us. It's titled in latin, but most of it is in Enochian. I remember cuz it was one of the books I asked Cas to translate, but he never got around to it…" Sam trailed off as he reached for a book with a thick tan spine that was stained from old age. After looking at the cover for just a minute, Sam knew that this was the book he was looking for. "Got it, come on." The brothers left the library and met up with Lexi in the hall. "I've got something that could help us, but we need Cas." The three of them surprised Castiel in the large room they had left him in. He was at one of the tables looking tired, but perked up as soon as the hunters entered the room.

"Cas, you remember when I was trying to get you to translate some of the Enochian books?"

"Yes, I remember."

"I'm gonna need your help translating this one." Sam put the book in front of Cas as they all sat down at the table.

"'Standing at Hells Gate'," Castiel read the title in English, then opened the book. He was immediately blown away at how much there was, all in enochian. "This may take a while…" he trailed off as he cradled his head with his hand.

"What's wrong, Cas?" Sam asked.

"Angel radio just got very loud."

"Yeah," Sam continued, "didn't you say it was louder when we're all together?"

"Yes."

"What are they saying?" Lexi asked. She was still cautious around the angel, but was more than a little curious about his kind.

"The same saying over and over again, it's merely louder now. 'Grace. She will save us.'"

"That's it!" Sam hollered. "We could ask the angels for help!" Castiel seemed to focus very hard on what he was hearing.

"That's all they say. When I ask what they mean, they simply say it louder."

"Well, the first part seems pretty obvious, they need an angel's grace." Dean spoke, trying to get down to business. "And that's what's gonna save them?"

"I assume so." Castiel said.

"But then," Sam interjected, " they say '_She_ will save us.' What if we're looking for an angel _named _Grace?!"

"I'm not aware of any angel who carries that name." Cas said.

"Wait." Dean said, sitting up straight. His eyes were widening by the second. He had everyone's attention now. He looked directly at Lexi and spoke, "it's you."

"What did I do?" Lexi asked. She had become distracted by the endless shelves of books and wasn't paying attention.

"Tell them what you told me in the car!"

"That I enjoy sunsets and long walks on the beach?"

Sam was visibly confused by this.

"No! Your middle name!" Dean said.

"Oh, my middle name is Grace." Lexi paused, realizing what he was implying, "But, a lot of people are named Grace, it's a pretty common name."

"Cas," Sam interrupted, "Earlier, you told me angel radio was louder with all of us here, what if it's not all of us, what if it's just her."

Lexi's eyes widened as she contemplated what this could mean. "Um…" all eyes were on her, "sorry?"

"No, don't be!" Sam spoke to Lexi, then turned to the rest of the group. Cas looked as though he were doubting that she could be the cause of the sudden clearness of angel radio. Sam continued, "Wait! Kevin!" Castiel only looked more confused at this, "Could a powerful presence make it easier for Kevin to read the tablets?"

"It's possible. It was certainly harder for him to read them in Hell, which is about as far from heaven as one could be."

Dean spoke next. "What are you getting at, Sammy?"

"When I was on the phone with Kevin, at one point he told me it got harder to read the tablet." blank faces all around, "Well, at that same exact moment, I had told Lexi to leave!"

Castiel's face turned somber as he looked towards the huntress.

"Lexi," Castiel spoke, standing, "may I, look at your soul?"

"Um, sure." she responded, as he walked around the table to where she was sitting.

He first tried placing his hand on her forehead as if taking her temperature, but was unable to read anything.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but my grace is fading, let me try again."

Lexi shrugged and closed her eyes, afraid that it might hurt. She felt Castiel's fingers rest on her temples and hands relax on her cheeks.

The winchester brothers were both uncomfortable at the sight of such physical contact. Dean's gaze was now focused on the _moment_ that his Ex was having with the new girl in town. Lexi wasn't so bad, but the way Castiel was touching, no, _caressing_ her face made him a less-than-happy hunter.

Castiel seemed to be having a tough time holding her thoughts. He opened his eyes to try to look deeper, but found that the huntress' eyes were closed.

"Could you open your eyes?" he asked. And, with uncertainty Lexi nodded and obliged. As they darted open, Lexi allowed Castiel entrance into her mind and soul.

The thoughts that whipped around Lexi's head were frozen in time as Castiel walked the corridors of her mind. Searching through her deepest thoughts, Castiel found nothing out of the ordinary. Memories rushed passed as photographs being thrown on a table. Lexi as a young child holding an infant with the help on an out-of-frame adult. Lexi playing in a child's pool with another, much younger girl, both in bathing suits as they played, unaware of the photographer capturing the moment. A young Lexi sobbing as she held her chest, a dark air surrounded her. Three boys, all close to her age, consoling Lexi, who was standing up straight, but a helplessness coated her watering eyes.

All of these were memories, unexplained to Castiel. The angel was about to retract his consciousness back into his own mind when something stopped him. The memories were suddenly swallowed by a bright blue light, congregating in the center of Lexi's psyche. _No, _Castiel thought, _that's not possible._ The angel reached his mind towards the blue mass, only to be snapped out of the huntress's mind before he could register the possibilities of what it might be.

Castiel was stuck in a limbo, having been dispelled from the huntress's mind and not yet allowed into his own. His consciousness was held in the air between them, evaluating the situation. _Why haven't I been snapped back? _he thought. The angel was confused by what was happening, but enjoyed it. Within a few moments of being in his limbo, he felt strong. Stronger than he had in a long time. It was as if he was an electrical device that had been dying, and he had finally found a suitable charger. He was there, charging, for only seconds before Lexi opened her eyes and caused the angel to retreat into his vessel. The strength hit him hard, so when he was safely in his own body, he jolted backwards in his seat.

Lexi and the Winchesters jumped as well, surprised by the sudden movement. A few moments of awkward stares separated the search from the following conversation.

Dean spoke.

"What the Hell was that?!"

Castiel and Lexi looked at each other. Castiel knew exactly what the anomaly in her mind was… and it scared him.

**_Dun Dun DUUUUUN! lol, favorite and follow and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE comment! or pm. If you pm or comment you will get a personal virtual hug and a shoutout in the authors note of the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed! ~Ad&amp;Al_**


	18. The Almost Angel

_**Okay, so this chapter is the shortest one, I think, but Friday's will explain a lot of things. Quick shoutout to ImpalasAngel45, who followed and favorited! HELLO, NEWCOMER. WELCOME. **_

_**Enjoy the chapter!**_

_**Chapter 18**_

_**The Almost Angel**_

As Castiel stood from the seat he had taken next to Lexi, he began walking a few steps back and forth. Sam suddenly got very nervous.

"What's wrong with her?" Sam asked, surprised with how concerned he was.

"Nothing."

"Then, why are you pacing?" Dean questioned. Castiel stopped, noticing his rhythmic steps, only to take his original seat.

"There was something there." he said.

"In my mind?" Lexi asked, "Like a tumor?"

"No," Castiel stated, "Unlike most medical prognoses, this "tumor" is purely...angelic."

A silence hit the room like a wrecking ball.

"Angelic?" Dean repeated.

"Angelic." Cas confirmed.

"Angelic." Sam stated.

"Yes. Angelic," Castiel said.

More silence.

"You mean," Lexi spoke, "Like an angel?"

Castiel was getting visibly frustrated. And Sam, confused, looked to Castiel. "So, wait, is she an angel?"

"She can't be an angel!" Dean said, "She's not a douchebag!" Castiel squinted at him and Dean thought about what to say. Eventually he gave up trying to find something witty to say and lifted his arms in surrender, "you know, I was gonna say no offense, but..." Dean trailed off, insulting the angel.

"She's not an angel," Castiel validated, ignoring the blatant insult, "I don't know what she is, all I know, is there is grace in her mind."

More silence.

The room filled with tension as everybody took this in. Now, having a better understanding of Lexi's situation, it seemed there were no words to describe what was running through their minds. Angelic warfare was nothing new to the brothers and the angel on their shoulder. But this? Hell, _Lexi_. Lexi was a new level of… _new_. The Winchesters had met regular humans. They had met demons, even Lucifer himself. They had met shapeshifters and Djinns, Werewolves and vampires, ghosts and ghouls, cupids and prophets. They thought they had met everything there was out there. But then, here they are. Sitting across the table from an _almost_ angel.

Then, silence was broken by the eldest Winchester.

"Who's hungry?"

_**Okay, like I said, super short BUT I SWEAR FRIDAYS WILL MAKE UP FOR IT. I hope y'all enjoyed! Favorite and Follow so you can get alerted when we update. Comment or PM me for a special little shoutout! I LoOoOoOoOve comments, but there's only been two so far, and one was from a guest user. :'( Anyway! Hope you liked it! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	19. Memories of Melaina

_**Hey guys! So this is a VERY long chapter (Almost 2000 words!) and it explains a lot of Lexi's past. We hope you enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 19**_

_**The Memories of Melaina**_

The air in the study was thick from the remnants of the conversation. Lexi couldn't help but feel like a frog amongst toads. Dean had asked if anyone was hungry. Sure, Lexi could eat, but that wasn't what she was hungry for. The only thing she craved were answers. Answers to questions that she couldn't even identify. Before Dean could ask again, Lexi stood, lightheaded and spoke.

"I'm not hungry," she said, "I'm actually really tired. I'm gonna hit the hay."

"Alright," Sam replied, "do you want me to walk you to your room?"

"No, I'll be alright." Lexi smiled. She could tell Sam was concerned, but she needed to think things through, _without_ having to worry about keeping herself together for Sam. She slowly turned toward a familiar corridor, hoping to find her room nearby.

It was surprising, really, how fast she had found her room. Lexi had only been in the bunker for a couple of days, a few more if you count her unconsciousness, but it already felt almost like home. Unfortunately, late into the night, when the bad dreams crept out from the darkest corners of her mind, whether or not she was "home" didn't matter.

Lexi woke with a stifled shriek and a cold sweat covering her face. A quick glance at the clock told her it was almost 1:00 am. _That was bad. _Lexi thought. She had become good at ignoring her waking nightmares and falling back to sleep immediately, but as she turned over, her mind was racing. Her room filled with questions.

_What's grace? Is that what makes an angel and angel? If so, why do I have it? I've never even been the slightest bit religious, why would I have grace? And the whole "Grace. She will Save Us." thing, is that supposed to be me? I don't know how to save angels! The only people I've saved are struggling blood bags from a vamps nest. Nothing more. Especially not angels! I used to not even believe in angels! Where did this come from? Will I be staying with the Winchesters? They seem like nice people. Especially Sam. I want to help them, but… wait…_ a startling thought popped into Lexi's head, _Do they know I've only ever hunted vampires?_

With all these thoughts racing around her head, Lexi knew there was no chance of falling asleep anytime soon. Without thinking, Lexi strode across the room and opened the door. The light from the hallway, though dim, hurt her eyes.

Lexi could only think of more questions as she walked sleepily across the hall and to the door directly across from hers. Before she knew what was happening, her hand was slowly rotating the doorknob to Sam's bedroom. Now, she stood still, door wide open, looking at the young Winchester.

_What am I doing?_ She thought, _This is ridiculous! _Lexi turned back and was about to close the door when she heard a scratchy voice.

"Lexi?" Sam called, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lexi responded. She was lucky it was dark, a blush had covered her face.

Sam sat up, now giving Lexi his full attention, "What happened?"

"Nothing!" she said with a light chuckle, "I was just trying to find the bathroom. Go back to sleep."

Lexi had thought she might get her way when Sam turned over. She was about to close the door when the room filled with light. Sam wasn't turning over to go back to sleep, he had been turning over to reach the lamp on the other side of the bed. His eyes were still half closed, but he managed to open them as he moved to the far left side of the bed, tapping the right side as an invitation for Lexi to come sit down. Lexi smiled and realized she didn't want to be alone. She sat on the right side of the bed.

"So, what was it about?" Sam asked, eyes adjusting to the sudden light.

"What do you mean?" Lexi asked, "I was just looking for the bathroom."

"No, I know that look," Sam waved his finger to gesture to her face, "Nightmares. Pretty common for hunters, but still, not fun. Plus, there's a bathroom attached to your room. You're not fooling me."

"It's nothing new, the same old dreams," Lexi smiled at how uncomfortable she had become. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she was still blushing, and now Sam could see it.

"Look," Sam responded, "I get the whole 'privacy' thing, but if we're gonna be working together, I've gotta know you're alright. If that means staying up all night to talk through your bad dreams, then so be it." he smiled a half smile, leaving Lexi to wonder if she should really tell him everything.

"It's a long story…" she trailed off. Sam could see that she didn't want to talk about it, but he needed to know, so he kept pressing.

"Lex, It's 1 am, we've got plenty of time."

Lexi sighed, preparing for the long tale she was about to tell. _Here we go…_

"I used to have everything. A home, a family, the best little sister in the world." she smiled, "Her name was Melaina." Lexi glanced up to Sam to make sure she wasn't making him uncomfortable, she hardly noticed any discomfort passed his concentrating eyes, "I was seven when there was a fire in the house. It was late at night, so everybody was sleeping. I guess I was the first one to smell smoke, cuz I woke everybody up. I remember banging on my parents bedroom door and screaming. The only words I could find were '_Fire!'_ and '_Run'_. But, I guess… I was too late." She fought back tears, this is usually where her nightmares started, "I had opened to door to my parents room and I could see them wake up. They yelled at me to get my sister and run, but I didn't want to leave them. They ran towards the door, but the doorway crashed down on them." Her face was filled with tears now, dripping down her face and collecting on her chin. After a moment of silence, Lexi felt Sam rub her back, encouraging her to continue, "I ran to my Melaina's room. She was only three years old and I could hardly make out her crying over the roaring of the fire. Somehow, her safety crib was too safe, she couldn't get out of it, and it was childproof, so…"

"So you couldn't get her out either." Sam finished as Lexi nodded through tears. Sam pulled her closer to him and held her against his chest. For a few minutes, that's where they stayed. Lexi calmed down enough to finish her story.

"I made it out of the house with some third degree burns from where my p.j.'s caught fire, but I couldn't save them." Sam nodded as he now understood that the patches of lighter skin on her waist were from the burns. Lexi took in a deep breath as she prepared to tell the second part of her story, "from there, I was put into the custody of my Aunt and Uncle. They were hunters.

"All of a sudden, my three cousins, Orion, Aiden, and Matt, became my adoptive brothers. They were all older than me. Orion was 6 years older, Aiden was 5 years older, and Matt was 3 years above me. They were hunters too. After having kids, my Aunt Molly and Uncle Mike became researchers. The brains behind the hunt. If any hunter out there had a question, they had an answer. All my cousins knew about monsters, but I was kept out of it. They told me they were Professors of Mythology at a local college," Lexi laughed at this, "But, Matt and I were really close, so when he turned 18 and was allowed to hunt, the beans got spilled.

"I started helping out with research at home. My Aunt, Uncle, and I researched the monster in question, and my cousins would take them out. It was a good system, but eventually, I wanted to go on the hunt. We made a compromise. I was allowed to hunt, but only vampires." Lexi turned to Sam, who was still paying attention to her story. He didn't seem fazed by the fact that she only hunted vampires. "Eventually, some monster decided he had enough of my Aunt and Uncle giving information, so he took them out." Sam looked horrified, the first show of emotion in her story, "I don't even know what it was, demon, shifter, whatever. It was just traumatizing to come home from a successful hunt to find their blood everywhere." Lexi surprised herself at how well she held back tears. This is where her nightmares usually ended.

"You don't have to keep going, if you don't want too," Sam said. His deep voice pierced the air around them.

"No," Lexi said, "I need to tell you the rest." Sam nodded, and allowed her to continue, "From there, my cousins decided we had no use for the house. We lived in the van and a motel every now and then for about six years. We sold the house for pocket money, took out our savings bonds, and learned how to hustle pool. We went on one big road trip, killing any fang that got in the way. Nothing more, though. It was kind of my Aunt and Uncle's last wish that I don't get tangled up with anything else. And that was our lives." Lexi shrugged and looked at Sam as if she was done telling the story, but he looked at her expectantly.

"So, where are your cousins?" Lexi's face fell as she remembered. She had tried her best to forget the next part of the story.

"Salted, burned, and melted in iron. Buried in North Dakota. That's where Aunt Molly and Uncle Mike lived, that's where they would want to be." Sam looked to his lap. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the huntress.

"Hunting trip gone bad," she said, answering Sam's almost-spoken question. A silence fell as the information set in. Sam's face winced as he looked down.

"I know it's not worth much, but, I'm really sorry." Sam said, hardly glancing up.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for your losses, too."

Sam looked up at Lexi, "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Sam," she responded, not fooled by his calmness, "You've got a story just like I do. Probably worse."

"Yeah, I guess…" Sam trailed off.

"What, then?" Lexi asked softly.

"No. My story is a long one." Sam said, hoping to avoid telling her. Lexi glanced at the clock.

"Sam, it's 2 a.m. We've got plenty of time." She made a point to quote his earlier remark.

Sam sighed as he realized she would have to know their story. It was her best chance at survival. He had always been nervous about re-telling his story, but he felt more excited for Lexi to know.

"It all started when I was six months old…"

_**Yay! So, like I said at the top, this explains a lot of things. The van, for one, but it also explains why Lexi is in the hunting biz. Shoutout to one of my best friends Melaina for being the inspiration for such a sweet younger sister! Love ya! Fav and Follow and Share with your friends. COMMENT COMMENT PM AND COMMENT grrrr.,... i want commentz... Hope you liked it! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	20. What Would've Happened

_**Chapter 20 **_

_**What Would've Happened**_

It was around 10 in the morning when Dean woke up. The first thing he recalled from this sleep was the lack of nightmares. _Maybe it's 'cuz Cas is here…_ he thought, but immediately rejected the idea that Cas would do that for him. Or even _could _do that with faded grace. He sat up in his bed and heard his stomach shake. _Hungry_. He put on pajama pants and an old, worn out, ACDC t-shirt and trudged out of his room. He was still tired when he passed Sam's room, but the sight before him woke him up entirely.

On the bed was Sam, asleep in a sitting position with his waist up against the headboard of the bed. That part was normal. The strange thing about this picture was what Sam held in his arms. Wrapped up in Sam's arms was an asleep Lexi. It was obvious that they fell asleep like that and Lexi hadn't just curled up next to him. No. Sam was embracing her against his chest. Lexi's light snores were muffled by Sam's shirt and Sam's head bobbed off to the side.

Dean smiled. He knew Sam had a thing for her the second they met, but how obvious he made it was _painful_. Dean closed the door to Sam's room so they could have some privacy. He walked towards the study in hopes of continuing the case.

As Dean walked into the study, Castiel walked out the other exit, towards the kitchen. Cas had glanced back and gave Dean a nod, to acknowledge his presence, but continued walking. It was obvious that Castiel had been working all night. On one of the tables, piles of books towered over a small pad of paper and an open book. The open one was obviously Stans In Infernis Porta, but now it had a few english translations written in between the lines of Enochian.

Dean sat down across from the books and opened one, pretending to be busy. He didn't want to have to deal with Cas this early in the morning. He knew they were going to have to learn to mend their relationship. They might not be able to get back to the way they used to be, but they had to get along to some degree, for the case.

Dean was absentmindedly flipping through the worn and torn pages of some old book when he looked up and saw Cas placing a mug of steaming hot coffee in front of him. Dean's reflexes kicked in and he reached for it, sipping the hot liquid and enjoying it's almost bitter taste. It took him a few seconds to realize that Cas had just brought him coffee. Cas had just brought him coffee. _Cas _just brought _coffee _to _Dean. _There's something off about that. Dean looked to the angel who was making his way to the other side of the table.

"Cas..?" He asked, gesturing to the mug.

"Yes, Dean?" Castiel spoke, seeing nothing wrong. But, as Dean once again gestured to the mug, Castiel's eyes widened. "Sorry, it must be a force of habit." he said dismissively, "would you like me to empty it into the sink?"

"No!" Dean answered, almost too quickly, "just, get back to translating." Castiel seemed to take this as a gesture of friendship and smiled. He then looked down and continued to translate the book.

Dean didn't notice. He was too focused on the cup of coffee. He was immediately snapped back to a memory of not-so-long ago.

~Dean put two cups of coffee on the Men of Letters' table. One for him, and one for Sam.

"Sammy," he said, "We've got to talk."

"Damn, Dean! If this is your idea of the sex talk, it a little too late for that!"

"NO! Ew. God, no. No, this is about Cas." Dean pulled a small black velvet box out of his jacket pocket and set it on the table. Sam's eyes widened as he realized what this was.

"No way!"

"Yeah," Dean said, he looked down, failing to hide the smile on his face.

"How are you gonna ask him?"

"That's what I need help with. Cas is into all that romantic crap. I like it well enough, but nothing I find does him justice."

"Okay. Try taking him out for dinner."

"There isn't a place I could find that fits. Everything with the stereotypical "Proposal" vibe isn't… us." Sam couldn't help but smile at this. His brother was finally going to be happy.

"I've got a feeling that no matter how hard you look, any place that screams 'proposal' isn't going to be your guys' thing."

"That's why I need your help, Sam."

"Okay, well, when do you want to…" Sam tried not to laugh at what he was about to say, "pop the question?"

Both brothers smiled at this.

"This weekend, one year from when I finally mustered up the courage to kiss that sonovabitch."

"Wait. You waited until NOW to tell me!"

"I've been a little pre-occupied."

"Okay, you know that diner that we passed? The one that we thought there was a shifter at, but it just turned out to be a mugger?"

"Yeah…."

"There was an empty warehouse next to that. Kind of like a barn." Dean nodded, signalling he was still listening, "Take him there."

"You're kidding me. That place is a dump!"

"I'll go help you clean it out. you can set up a table in the middle of the room. Make him dinner. Burgers. Bread with honey. You know what he likes!"

Dean started nodding. "I can see where you're going with this!". Suddenly, they heard footsteps draw near. Dean pulled the ring-box back into his jacket pocket and took a sip of his coffee. By the time Cas had walked into the kitchen, the only remnants of the conversation were floating in the brothers' minds.~

"Dean. Dean!" Cas had been trying to get his attention.

"Sorry, what?"

"I was just telling you that I've got most of it figured out, but there are a few syllables that I can't decode."

"Just keep trying. I'm sure you'll figure it out." Dean said, still distracted by the memories lingering in his mind

_**Hey! New chapter! So, now you know what almost happened, but now you don't know why it didn't! If anybody is confused, the text that's in ~ ~ is a flashback. Shoutout to Tomnomlinson for following! Don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and share with your friends to share in the Destiel feels! Comment or pm is you want a shoutout and a virtual hug! Hope you enjoyed! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	21. The Beginning of a Quest

_**Hey! I know it's late! (I'm updating this at midnight for those of you reading this later) but there were some communication difficulties. But here's the new chapter! Enjoy!**_

_**WHOA WHOA HOLD UP. Dang, I almost uploaded this without giving a shoutout to a few people!**_

_**Phoenix Crest and segenmehari are the newest to Fav/Follow! Thank you so much guys! This chapter goes out to you! If anybody else wants a shoutout, Fav/Follow or Comment/PM! okay, now, here ya go. new chapter.**_

_**Chapter 21**_

_**The Beginning of a Quest**_

Sam walked into the study, shortly followed by Lexi. While there was still sleep in their eyes, it was plain to see they slept well. Dean looked at Sam with suspicion, but Sam shrugged it off.

"Morning!" Lexi said.

"Mornin'" Dean replied. Sam walked over to Cas and looked at the pages in front of him.

"How's it going? Find anything?"

"It was going very well for a while," Castiel responded, "but there are a few symbols that are hard for me to decode. This seems more ancient than I can remember. I must have been just a fledgling when this was written." Sam laughed at the idea of a baby Castiel, small wings not yet able to hold him in flight.

As Lexi came to Cas's side, Sam went into the kitchen for coffee, seeing that his brother and Cas already had some.

As Lexi peeked at the ancient writing, Castiel looked at her skeptically, "I don't expect you will understand any of this," he looked back down at his messy handwriting, "I'm not even sure that I do."

"No, no, I understand…." Castiel looked at her doubtfully. Without warning, Lexi started to point to random places in the book and spoke to Castiel, "See, if *that* symbol translates to *that* sound, and the little line above it is the same as *that* sound, then wouldn't it be the extra 'B'?"

Castiel gazed at the human in awe and confusion.

"Yes, I suppose that would make sense…" he conceded.

"But then, with the 'B' put in *that* space, you would need one of those little curvy 'X's for it to translate to what you have written. Don't change it, just use the double meaning behind *those* little lines and erase *that* and then you'll have the right symbol for translation."

As Dean and Cas stared at Lexi, Sam walked in with two cups of coffee and gave one to Lexi. She took the mug with a thankful smile and sipped the coffee inside, still staring at the Enochian symbols. Lexi hadn't noticed the stares, but as she looked to Castiel, she could suddenly feel the eyes on her.

"So, how did you sleep last night?" Lexi asked, eager to change the subject.

Castiel looked back to the books, "I didn't, angels don't need to sleep."

"Oh, okay. Dean, what about you?"

Dean looked slightly annoyed by the question, "Oh, just fine, thanks. How about yourself?"

Lexi blushed as she looked to Sam, then back to Dean, "No complaints."

"That's good." Dean winked at his brother. Sam then looked to Cas and asked,

"So, when do you think you'll be able to have the translations for us?"

Castiel looked up, "With Lexi's help, I've got one ingredient in the spell already."

"Really?" The hunters spoke simultaneously.

"What do we need?" Sam asked.

"One of the ingredients is the wool of a Babylonian sacrificial sheep."

Odd looks were exchanged as Sam walked to his laptop, which was charging on another one of the tables. He brought it back and sat beside Dean as he started to look up a possible shop where they could find such an item. Lexi looked perplexed.

"There's no way you have wifi down here." She peeked over his shoulder to find that he was already deep into search mode, "How…" she trailed off.

"I know, right." Dean finished, "I've stopped questioning it." he took a sip of his coffee.

Sam interjected, "A hunter's shop might have some. It's over in Maine, though. And the owner doesn't know if it's Babylonian."

Cas stood, "No need, I'll go there now and retrieve it."

"I told you, Cas, the owners don't even know if it's Babylonian." Sam said.

"I understand. I meant I will go to Babylon to retrieve some."

"No!" Dean yelled as he tried to ignore everybody's stares. Uncomfortably, he continued, "Babylon isn't around anymore, Cas."

"It's believed to have been located in modern day Iraq." Cas retorted.

"Okay… what about your grace? It's fading fast. You might not be able to make the trip." Dean sounded more concerned than he meant to.

Castiel and Lexi glanced at each other. Nobody but them knew that their soul searching endeavor supplied Cas with more grace. Castiel covered nicely, though.

"I should have enough to get there and back. Once back, I may need to sleep for some time, but nevertheless."

"Okay," Sam said, much to Dean's disapproval, "We'll be waiting."

"I should only be a moment."

And so he was off. Lexi was thrown off by the lack of wings, and the brothers just sat there waiting anxiously. Dean glanced at his watch as a minute passed. He stood and walked to where Castiel had been sitting. Then they all heard a flap of wings.

Castiel stood before them, but not as he had left. His trenchcoat had been torn at its lower seam and the ribbon around it was much longer on one side than the other. His hair was so distorted and his face so dirty, the hunters barely recognized him. He held a worn out sack that held Babylonian sheeps wool. He turned to Dean as his nose started to bleed, but before the angel could say a word, he was falling to the ground.

**_Whew! Cliffhanger! There's more to come, so follow, favorite, and share with your friends! Internet or otherwise lol Comment or PM to make my day! 21 chapters and only 2 people have commented and I've gotten 1 PM. Come on guys! I want to know what you think of the story! anyway. We hope you liked it! ~Ad&amp;Al_**


	22. Happy Thoughts

_**Yay! New Chapter! This one's a long one!**_

_**Shoutout to segenmehari for commenting! I love to hear the feedback!**_

_**Chapter 22**_

Seconds felt like centuries to Dean. He was worried enough when Cas wasn't back right away, but the wave of relief he got when his angel returned quickly turned to panic as Dean assessed the situation. Dean, of course, was the first one to Castiel's side, catching him before he could even _think _about hitting the ground. From there, Dean slowly melted to the floor with Cas in his arms. Sam came running and Lexi backed up, trying to get out of the way.

"Dammit, Cas, what did you do?" Dean mumbled.

"Okay," within moments, Sam had an idea of what they were about to deal with, "Dean, do you think you could-,"  
"On it," Dean replied. He knew what Sam was about to ask and obliged, picking up the angel and running towards his room. Once there, Dean had a fit, yelling at Sam to go get the first-aid kit and then leave him to deal with Cas. Lexi only stared awkwardly from the background as she put two and two together. _The problem isn't anything physical, or they wouldn't have picked him up. It's probably his angel-juice. _She realized that she might be able to help, but that would have to wait until Dean cleaned up his angel.

Days later, Dean's hands were balled into one big fist that was holding his chin up. Time seemed to stop for the older Winchester as he waited for the angel to awaken. He sat on a chair next to Castiel's bed and stared at him, willing him to wake up, but to no avail.

Dean heard a knock on the door. He had been avoiding his brother the past few days, but, despite his attempts to ward him off, Sam kept coming back with plates of food that remained uneaten by Dean or his unconscious companion. Though Dean could have sworn he heard his brother's footsteps leaving the closed doorway, a few more quick knocks were heard. Dean moved his hands to cover is face and pulled them down, dragging his features with them until his calloused hands were covering his neck. He willed himself out of the sitting position and to the door, ready to reject his brother for the nth time today. However, when he opened the door, he had to adjust his gaze lower to make eye contact with his guest.

"Hi," Lexi's broken voice spoke, cracking around the syllables in a pathetic manner.

"What do you want?" Dean asked, recovering from his surprise.

"I just wanted to know how he was doing," Lexi said, eyes leaving Deans to look at the resting angel. Dean quickly adjusted his stance and closed the door further so that Castiel was now hidden from Lexi's view.

"He's fine," Dean stated dismissively.

"He is?" Lexi knew a lie when she heard one, "He's awake? Can I talk to him? I want to ask him something." Dean glared at her.

"What do you want to ask him?"

"Just," Lexi hesitated, "something," Dean's eyes fell before filling with rage. He was about to say something before looking back at Cas and leaving the room, closing the door behind him so that he was alone in the hall with Lexi.

"Look," he started, "I don't like secrets. Especially from amateur hunters who aren't gonna be around long enough to figure out how to use them against me. So I'm gonna say this and I'm only gonna say it once. You listening?" Lexi nodded, scared, but unwilling to back down, -"_Good. Don't assume you know anything about any of us just cuz you and Sam are cuddle buddies. No passerby slut is going to get in between me and my family. So, no, you can't see Cas, cuz I already know what's gonna happen. The second he wakes up, you're gonna be the first one to say anything and all that's gonna be coming out of your mouth are things you want from him. He ain't yours to play with. He's too good to be some Hunter Barbie's falling star. So, leave. Take your fugly van and freakish harpoon-gun and hope I never see you within a mile of my angel or so help me god, I will deep fry your Grace-Infected ass till nobody, not even your parents will recognize you. Capiche?"-_

"I said, I'm listening." Lexi snapped her fingers in front of Dean's face, wondering what could be so important that it could drag him out of telling her off. Dean put up his hands, obviously done with the situation, and left the conversation, walking down the hallway towards the study. Internally, Dean was really glad he hadn't said any of that out loud. While he was still pretty pissed, none of this was Lexi's fault. Dean just needed to yell for the sake of yelling. He needed to blow off steam. So, without a word to his confused brother, Dean went to the shooting range, hoping to work up a much needed sweat.

Lexi was confused. Dean had started to tell her off, but spaced out before he could finish, or barely start, the job. With Dean out of the way, Lexi quietly made her way into the angel's room.

Observing the sleeping Castiel was a strange experience. Dean had cleaned him up well enough, but he still looked pale and sickly. Lexi could tell he was alive, not just from the rise and fall of his chest beneath the blankets, but the space around him seemed… conscious. Almost as if he were walking around the room in an out of body experience. Slowly, Lexi made her way to Castiel's side.

"I really hope this works," she mumbled as she placed her forefingers on his temple, trying to mimic what she had seen him do mere days before.

_Focus, _she thought, _let yourself in._ Lexi could feel herself getting closer to the angel, spiritually and physically. Then, in a split second of will power, she put all of her energy into handlessly opening Castiel's eyes. Although they remained unconscious, Crystal Blue eyes pierced through the room, illuminating the space around them. However, Lexi remained clueless as to this fact because, while her eyes were open, they were unseeing. She was now in the mind of an angel.

She seemed to be walking around Castiel's mind. It was darker than she had pictured. In the center of what seemed to be an endless room was a mass of blue energy, which Lexi quickly identified as his grace. The energy travelled from the "ground" Lexi seemed to be standing on to the "Ceiling" that appeared as the limit of his mind, only to expand once it got to the top. From there, it seemed to navigate its way through his psyche like the veins lying in his arms. Though this was an amazing sight, it was difficult to enjoy once she noticed how dim it seemed. It became clear to her that the grace was fading. Fast.

Without giving it much thought, Lexi started to see her way around the angel's mind. It didn't take long for her to realize that the images she was seeing were memories, and the memories she was seeing were dark. As Lexi watched Castiel's worst memories, she felt them all. She saw somebody who looked like Sam, but obviously wasn't, snap his fingers and felt Castiel explode. She could feel the pain as ideas were drilled into his head by a woman behind a white desk. She watched the world, from Castiel's eyes, turn to darkness as the apocalypse _almost_ came to pass. She could feel him being tortured. So. Much. Torture. From the hands of Demons, Angels, and humans alike. She felt nameless creatures attack from the deepest depths of the forests of Purgatory. She saw Dean, walking into a motel with a blonde woman, who seemed to be drunk.

_Was he never happy?_

Just as she thought this, Lexi appeared to come to a vault, slowly but surely, it opened. In this small room, there was happiness. Sunsets and stars, Battles won, with hardly a cost. Bees and Burgers and… _Why is Dean stabbing him? Why is that a __**happy**_ _memory?..._ and finally, past all of these things, she found the best of them all. While Lexi was spiritually connected to Cas at this point, she could not feel this scene. All she could feel was that this was the happiest he had ever been, but that happiness seemed to be reserved for the angel. Lexi knew that this was what Castiel needed. She quickly took the memory out of the vault and carried it carefully to his center of Grace. As she held the memory to the mass of energy, it began playing out all over his mind on what seemed to be hundreds upon hundreds of T.V.'s. She stepped back and watched the remembrance play. It was simple. The happiest memory Castiel had, over the millions of years he had lived, was Dean.

It was Dean, still a bit bloody from a hunt, smiling and grabbing Castiel's trenchcoat. He pulled his angel closer and closed his eyes, slamming his lips into the angel's. Castiel returned the embrace and, when the time was right (5 hours later lol), they pulled away from each other, smiles pasted on both of their faces.

As this scene played over and over again, the room got brighter. The bitter memories disappeared and were replaced with joyful ones. Lexi quickly realized that those sunsets were seen from the hood of the impala. Those Bees were being chased in a park while Dean watched and smiled. The battles that he had won had been won alongside the Winchesters. It became clear the Dean _was _Castiel's happy thoughts.

Lexi felt strange as she slowly flew back into her own mind. As her eyes blinked, she saw Castiel's eyes close. However, Lexi was not concerned. It was obvious that now, the angel was just sleeping. She was about to release her fingers from Castiel's forehead when storming footsteps entered the room.

_**Like I said, that was a long one. However, it is one of my favorites! Fav/ Follow, Comment or PM for a shoutout! Also, I reply to all Comments and PMs. okey. das all fur noi. bai. ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	23. Re: Angel Juice

_**Hey guys! IT'S FRIDAY. And I've got some shoutouts for y'all!**_

_**TheBlondeMonster, jepoole1983, and Pbmolecules are the new followers!**_

_**Also, I'm gonna give TheBlondeMonster even MORE love than I already have for letting me know I published the wrong thing!**_

_**Yay! I hope everybody enjoys this new installment!**_

Chapter 23

Angel Juice

Dean felt like a fool. He finally got out of that room and down to the shooting range and realized, he forgot his gun in Cas's room. He raced back to the angel, footsteps hitting the ground hard, only to be halted in surprise when she found Lexi standing over Castiel.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled. Lexi quickly stood and straightened her posture. She knew Dean wasn't going to hear her out, so she braced herself for the worst.

"I was just…"

"You were just what? It's creepy enough that you watched him sleep, what the hell were you doing with your hands!?"

"It was nothing."

"You bet your ass it was nothing! Stay away from him! It's bad enough you did this to him, I don't need you messing around with him while he's recovering!"

Lexi was taken back. She understood that Dean needed to yell, but why was he blaming her?

"What do you mean? I didn't do this to him!" She finally found her ground to stand on.

"Yes you did! Don't even try to pretend you didn't! Everything was fine until you came along!"

"Yeah, I bet," she retaliated, "If I hadn't been in that vamps nest, you'd be dead right now! Twice!"

"Just cuz you had a hand in helping us doesn't mean we wouldn't have made it out of there alive!"

"Whatever stops the tears, princess," Lexi was interrupted by Sam's presence in the doorway, obviously not knowing how to deal with the situation.

"Just stay away from him!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"If you hadn't translated the symbols, he would be fine right now!"

"I am fine." A new voice spoke. Castiel was now sitting up in bed and had been watching the hunters fight. Dean instantly lowered his voice.

"Cas," Dean was speechless.

"None of this is Lexi's fault," the angel began, "if anything, she is the reason why I'm alive."

Lexi crossed her arms and fought the urge to give Dean the 'I-told-you-so' face she had been preparing.

"What do you mean, Cas?" Dean asked, taking a seat on his bed. Lexi sat on the chair on the opposite side and Sam stood at the foot of the bed.

"There's something I didn't tell you," Castiel started, "When I looked into Lexi's soul, her grace seemed to… boost… mine." The angel got nothing but blank stares from the hunters, "The only reason I thought I was strong enough to make the trip to Babylon was because of the grace I aquired by searching her soul."

"That's what I was doing here," Lexi finished, "I thought there might be a way to do that again. But this time, I went into his mind."

Castiel looked down, thinking hard, "That would make sense. Thank you."

"No problem," Lexi shrugged as if it were no big deal, but, in reality, she was exhausted from the endeavor.

"So, that's why you woke up?" Sam spoke for the first time during the conversation.

Castiel only smiled, then said, "I suppose."

"How did you do it?" Dean asked, pissed, but curious at the same time.

Lexi blushed at the happy thought she had brought to Cas's grace, "When I went into his mind, it was dark. I saw memories all over the place and they were all depressing. Somehow, I think I could feel them all, how sad Castiel had been during them," everybody waited in suspense to see what she would say next, "But, then, I found this little room, off to the side. When I went in, the only things I saw were happy memories. It was brighter in there, so I took the happiest memory and brought it to the center of his mind. I think that's what woke him up."

"What was it?" Sam asked.

Lexi looked at the men sheepishly, "I think that's for Castiel to know." Sam nodded, but Dean was hurt. He felt like he, of all people, should be allowed in on the secret. But, then again, it's not like they were a couple anymore…

_**Announcement: Next week, we will have our normal schedule of uploading a new chapter on Tuesday and Friday, however, the two weeks following that, we will be taking a break. In all honesty, I haven't been keeping up with the writings, so I have to get caught up now... :/ **_

_**Thank you all for understanding! Fav, follow, share, and comment for a special shoutout and a vitual hug! Thanks so much for reading! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	24. Decoding

_**YAY MORE CHAPTER. I've got so many shoutouts to do, so I'm gonna get on with the getting on...**_

_**Oh my Chuck, so many new people!**_

_**Thank you to weeping-willow16, ShadowRider7, dollinchains, mercenary2.0, and 5095110 for following the story!**_

_**Here's another chapter!**_

_**Chapter 24**_

_**Decoding**_

Dean sat down across from Sam in the Men of Letters study. Sam had been working practically non-stop on translating the rest of the spell. Castiel had only decoded a few symbols before his trip to Babylon knocked him out.

"How's it coming along?" Dean asked.

"Good, actually,"Sam sighed, "I think I've figured out another ingredient to the spell. I'm not sure though…" Sam looked cautiously at his brother, "It would really help if Cas would check it."

"No!" Dean yelled, "He just woke up! I'm not gonna have him doing your dirty work while he's healing." Dean's stern look quickly faded as he realized what he just said. "Um, I mean, it's not like, he can't just…"

"He's been awake for almost two days! He'll be fine. It's not like I'm asking him to dig a grave!"

"But, he's still tired. I don't want him to work too hard." Dean said, obviously not thinking before letting the words out of his mouth.

"And you say you're over him," Sam muttered.

"Shut up!" Dean's voice rose to a scream.

"Why do I need to shut up?" Lexi joked, entering the room.

"You don't!" Sam said turning to her. Lexi smiled and walked over to the table. She sat next to Dean, avoiding Sam's eyes. They still hadn't talked about the other night, but it was a topic that lingered between them.

"Sam was just saying that he figured out another ingredient for the spell."

"Awesome! You can tell me all about it as soon as I get something to eat."

Sam watched her intently as she left to the kitchen.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Sam, I'm your brother. Do you honestly think I can't tell when something is going on?"

Sam sighed heavily, "I thought I covered it up well."

"You didn't. But, in your defense, seeing you two go all snuggle buddies a few days ago was a major hint."

"You saw that!?" Sam slammed his hands onto the table, raising his voice. Within an instant though, he realized how loud he had been. He looked over his shoulder, expecting to see Lexi enter the room questioning about the noise, but, when he saw no sign of her, he continued, but was interrupted by his now laughing brother.

"Look, you like her, right?", Sam chose not to respond, "Denial. Classic. What did she say the morning after?"

"Nothing! It's not like we had sex!"

"So you guys haven't talked since then? Sammy, that was two days ago!"

"No! We've talked! Just… not about that."

"Wow, you are royally screwed."

"Do you think so?" Sam asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

"You'll have to ask her."

"Ask me what?" Lexi entered the room carrying a bowl of cereal.

"Nothing!" The boys say simultaneously.

Lexi's stares could have drilled holes in their heads. Dean quickly recovered.

"Sam was just about to tell me the next ingredient."

"Alright," Lexi sat down sighing, "What's this weeks nightmare?"

"The translation I got was kind of… weird. We need 'The tooth of a sinner nun'"

Dean was lost, but Lexi perked up. "Oh! I know where we can find one!" the only responses she got were strange looks, "What! My cousins and I hiked out to Milwaukie at one point. There was a vamp nest in the area. It's the Head vamp took the form of a Reverend at a church. I looked into it's history, and the nun's were converted. Most of them used to be prostitutes. The nun's there had a reputation for, shall we say, using the lord's name in vain." Neither of the boys got it, so blank looks were exchanged until Lexi continued, "Okay… moaning the Lord's name in vain."

"Ooohhh…" the boys finally understood.

"Wait," Sad said, "Milwaukie? Milwaukee Wisconsin?

"No! Oregon."

"Okay," Dean interrupted, "You guys better get packed. It's a good 2 days there and back, not to mention a day or two on the case."

"Why just us?" Sam questioned.

"I have some much needed R&amp;R to get to. And there's no way you're going alone, Sam. Someone has to be there to save your ass!" Lexi giggled at this while Sam stared at his brother. Dean was fully aware of this, but refused to back down.

"Go get packed up! You two crazy kids have some hunting to do!"

_**Alrighty! Quick reminder that after this Friday's chapter, Al and I are going to take a break. Just for a week MAYBE two to get caught up on the writing! Don't worry, we aren't anywhere close to leaving you hanging! Soon enough, we'll be back to our regular schedule of two chapters every week. If you guys have any questions or just want to talk, PM me or comment with anything that's on your mind! Favorite, follow, comment or PM for a shoutout! Thank you all so much! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	25. Packing for a Hunt

_**AAAHHHHHHH IDK HOW LONG ITS BEEN PROBABLY LIKE 3 OR 4 WEEKS SO SORRY.**_

_**We were going to take a two week break but school just started, so ugh. Anyhoo... little anouncement at the bottom! Read away!**_

_**Chapter 25**_

When Lexi got to her room, she prepared her duffle bag. Going through a mental check list, she was forced to consider what she might need for this mission. _Ok,_ she thought, _It's a two day trip just to get there. Hopefully, it won't take long to get a little tooth, so… Pj's?_ In the middle of her thought process, Lexi was interrupted by a tall hunter in her doorway.

"Knock knock!" Sam said.

"Hey! What's up? I'm almost done packing."

"Cool! Cool," Sam stepped into the room with his hands shoved in his pockets. Lexi looked to him with a curious look on her face.

"What's up?" She asked. He obviously had an ulterior motive for this friendly visit.

"I just wanted to give you a heads up. The tooth that we're supposed to get, it might be protected by a ghost."

"A ghost?"

"The ghost of the nun who it belongs to. Spirits have a way of, how should I say this, being jerks when it comes to their bones."

Lexi laughed at first. It's not like she'd never… _oh, shit,_ "I've never dealt with a ghost before."

"Yeah, I thought you might like a little bit of a warning."

Lexi stood up straighter as she realized what she had gotten herself into. Before she knew what was happening, she was hyperventilating. Sam rushed towards Lexi, who had just dropped herself onto the bed. He knelt on the ground in front of her, trying to console the huntress.

"Don't worry!" he quickly exclaimed, "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." Lexi looked up at him, touched by his words, "I've dealt with ghosts before. It's nothing I won't be able to handle on my own." Lexi looked at Sam with big green eyes.

"Well," she said, "You won't have to." Sam was obviously surprised. "I'm not useless. I've got enough skills to save the famous Winchesters from an entire nest of vamps…"

"That was not an entire nest! It was… most of a nest."

"Okay," Lexi continued, "The majority of a nest of vamps, then I'm perfectly capable of helping grab some whore nun's moler."

"Alright!" Sam smiled, "I'll tell you everything you need to know on the way there. Meet me by the Impala in half and hour."

"Gotcha!" Lexi stood up to walk Sam out of the room, exhaling deeply once the door was closed.

A half and hour later, Lexi was walking towards the front door. Passing Castiel's room, she saw something she probably shouldn't have. Dean was at Cas's bedside, his eyes were dry. Not like he had been crying, but as if he hadn't slept in days. Castiel lay in the bed in front of him, asleep. He seemed almost comatose as his chest was clearly rising and falling.

As she continued to walk towards the front door, her mind went reeling. _Okay, _she thought, _I'm about to go on my first ghost hunt. Not to mention It'll take more than two days. Alone. With Sam. _Lexi wasn't sure of Sam's feelings for her. Hell, Lexi wasn't sure of her feelings for him, but she thought she had felt something. A glimmer of hope in her otherwise dark, vampire-filled, life. _There is something there, right? But, if there were something, wouldn't we have talked about the other night? I mean, we swapped entire life stories! He knows my sisters name! Doesn't that mean anything to him?_

As Lexi opened the front door to the Bunker, she was snapped out of her thoughts by a chill. It was midday, but there was a storm on the horizon, making the air thick.

"You ready?" Sam hollered

"Yeah," Lexi replied, unsure of herself. Sam lowered the fake bottom of the Impala's trunk and threw his duffle bag in, gesturing for Lexi to do the same.

Before they could leave, Sam and Lexi heard the bunker door open and close. They looked up to see Dean tossing a set of keys to Sam.

"Not a scratch, or so help me Cas, I _will_ kill you."

Something in Lexi clicked into place as she shouted, "Cas!" and ran into the bunker.

She quickly sprinted through the now familiar halls and into the angel's room. Castiel was in the same position he was in earlier, lying on the bed sleeping, chest rising and falling with each breath.

"Cas," Lexi whispered, nudging his arm, but to no avail. She shook him with more force, saying louder, "Cas, wake up!"

The angel quickly straightened, a sharp inhale followed by his head turning so he was facing the ceiling. He then sat up and looked at Lexi with a questioning look.

"Alexis. Can I help you?"

Lexi shuddered at the use of her full name.

"No, actually," she said, suddenly self-conscious, "I thought _I_ might be able to help _you._" Castiel only turned his head to the side, confused. "We both know that when you looked into my mind, and when I looked into yours, you felt better afterward. I'm about to leave for a hunt and won't be home for a few days, so I thought you could use some mind-juice."

Castiel smiled, "Of course. But, let's make this a bit quicker than last time. I am stronger now."

The angel raised his hand and extended two fingers, touching the center of Lexi's forehead. Lexi could feel a jolt of energy travel throughout her body. From her brain, to her heart, then branching out to each of her limbs as if it were searching for energy in her veins, back to her heart, then up to her mind. The huntress tried to cover up the goose-bumps that appeared on her arms

"Well,"

"Thank you," Castiel ended the awkwardness between them.

"I-I should get going. Sam's waiting for me by the Impala."

Castiel looked down, grinning a bit before saying, "Be good to him,"

Lexi was visibly taken back by this, "What? What do you-"

_Honk honk!_

Lexi was rudely interrupted by the Impala's horn rushing Lexi to finish.

Castiel's hand rose and flicked towards the door, telling Lexi to hurry. Lexi walked halfway to the door, then turned to the angel, pointing a finger. "This conversation is not over."

Castiel was left to decipher the human speech pattern on his own as Lexi left him with his head tilted.

Lexi rushed to Sam, just in time to interrupt Dean threatening his brother.

"-and no food! If I smell anything funky in there, I will take that pair of suckers you call a-"

"And I'm back!" Lexi stated, stopping Dean from yet another insult. "Sam? Shouldn't we be getting on the road? Oregon is quite a few states over!"

"Yeah," Sam finished, "Definitely. Oh, and Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Have a fun weekend. Alone. With Cas. Bye!"

And with that, the hunters drove off, leaving a very red-faced Dean behind.

_**Yay! another chapter! Like I said at the top, we totally forgot to post for the last few weeks, so we're gonna make it up to ya. ONE NEW CHAPTER EVERYDAY THIS WEEKEND. Yes! Tomorrow and the day after, we will be posting another chapter! yay! Also,**_

**_Special shoutout to princess December Snow and Venuzstar for following! (I bet you thought I forgot about you!)_**

**_If you want a shoutout, Fav, Follow, Comment or PM. Share with your friends!_**

**_Love ya! ~Ad&amp;Al_**


	26. Get Some Rest

_**I know. I'm a horrible person. Please try to understand why I haven't updated in so long. I've got school, work, family, DRAMA, so much going on that I'm lucky if I get to use my laptop, much less write a decent chapter. **_

_**I can, however, promise you that this story is far from over. My friend and I have big plans for this story and possibly (no promises) a sequel!**_

_**Big shoutout to MadamRed1716 for fav and follow! Welcome! I'm not usually this bad at updating!**_

_**Hope you guys enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 26**_

_**Get Some Rest**_

Castiel awoke in his bed feeling much better than before. The quick jolt of energy that Lexi supplied was more than enough to get him feeling better, much less wake him up. He only needed a few hours of sleep afterwards to get him to 100%.

As he walked into the study, Castiel was surprised to see that his mess of books had been moved around. The lines of Enochian that held Cas's handwriting now also held Sam's and there was half a page of yellow-legal-pad taken up with the translation "Tooth of a Sinner Nun".

_Clever. Very clever, Sam._

Castiel's thoughts were interrupted by the clearing of a throat a few feet from him. He hadn't noticed that Dean had entered the study from the kitchen, holding a plate of fried eggs in his hand.

"Hey, Cas, how you feeling?" he asked.

"Very well," Cas replied. And he meant it, "How long was I sleeping?"

"Not too long. Sam and Lexi left about two hours ago. Before that, a few days."

"I see." Castiel looked down, trying to figure out how to process this information. Attempting to get away from the subject, Castiel asked the first thing that came to mind. "What's for breakfast?"

Something lifted in Dean chest. Castiel may be an all-powerful being at times, but right now, he was a small human, wondering what he should eat for sustenance. To Dean, it was kind of like seeing a giant, three-headed hellhound roll over so he could rub it's belly. It was… _comical._

"I was actually just about to bring this to you. Fried egg, sunny side up." _Just the way you like it,_ he thought, but he wouldn't dare say it out loud. That's something they used to say to each other when they were dating. Back when they _were _something.

Castiel smiled, knowing exactly what Dean had almost said. "Thank you, Dean." He smoothly remarked. The angel put the plate of eggs down, next to a pile of books. "The hunt that Sam and Lexi are on, are they going after the tooth?"

"Yeah. Sam figured out the translation last night and Lexi knew where they could find one, so they're on their way to Oregon right now."

Castiel took another look over the notes on the table, flipping through page after page of Enochian. "He's done well." Castiel smirked.

"Yes. Yes he has. When he gets back in a few days, we'll figure out the next ingredient and go after it."

"There is no need to wait. From here, the translations should be fairly simple. I should have the another step translated in next to no time."

Dean tensed. He didn't think Castiel could be nearly strong enough to get back out there. Taking on whatever they needed to wasn't going to be easy. He tried to stall.

"'Next to no time'? When's that gonna be?" Dean scoffed, "Just go back to bed and wait for Sam to get back. Don't bother trying to translate something if you're not even sure you _can _translate it. The whole process seems-"

"Done." Castiel interrupted Dean, "The next ingredient is a Witch's Dime from a special kind of hex bag. An Oduzet."

Dean looked at him skeptically. "Oduzet?"

"Oduzet. Yes."

"Oduzet." Dean stated questioningly.

"It's from the Croatian language. It means paralyzed."

"Oh. Are you sure?" Dean was trying to keep his cool, but facing a witch was bad enough. Now, he was facing a witch without his brother and with a spiritually handicapped angel of the Lord. Great. Everything was turning up Winchester. "Okay." Dean gave in to the angels wishes, "I'll drop a few lines on the hunter radar. Meanwhile, you **get some rest**. You'll feel better after a full night's sleep."

_Get some rest._

Castiel had been enjoying his make-out session with the hunter. 10 months into the relationship and things were going good. Castiel laid back in the hunters bed, cozy in the warm pajamas he had changed into.

"I missed this." He said simply, gazing at the hunter.

"I know, Cas." Dean replied. He was wearing a plain black shirt and boxer shorts.

"We should…" the angel trailed off.

"What?" Dean asked, smile crawling across his face.

"We should go out tomorrow. Do something just the two of us." The angel blushed heavily.

"Castiel!" Dean responded mockingly, "Are you asking me on a _date_?" They chuckled at this until the angel looked his hunter in the eyes and stated simply.

"Yes."

Dean acted like he was deep in thought, "Let me think about this…" Castiel tensed up at the fact that he had to think, but when Dean saw the look on his angel's face, he explained, "I'm joking, Cas! I don't have to think about that at all!" Castiel's face lifted as he realized that the hunter had been using sarcasm. "Okay," Dean continued, "Okay, tomorrow, I'll get up early and tell Sammy that we aren't gonna take a case. It'll be just you and me. We can go to the movies, watch a film, the park watch the bees, dinner, whatever you want. It'll be a day just for us. How does that sound?"

Castiel couldn't help but smile. He was finally going to get some time alone with his hunter. That was rare in itself, but the fact that Dean was going out of his way to make him happy? Castiel was ecstatic.

However, Castiel was new to the human race, and still had trouble expressing his newfound human emotions with words. So, a few kisses pressed on his hunters lips should get the point across.

After a few moments of Castiel locking lips with him, Dean leaned back.

"There will be plenty of _that_ tomorrow," he said mischievously, "For now, **get some rest**. I'll see you in the morning." Dean placed a small, chaste kiss on the angels lips and turned off the light. The last thing Castiel saw that night was the smile of the hunter he had come to love.~~~

"Did you hear me?" Castiel was broken from his trance by Dean.

"Yes." he recovered, "that should work."

Dean's face contorted into surprise and doubt, surprise at the fact that an _angel_ had just zoned out and doubt that Cas was capable of covering it up. "Yeah, I think you need some rest." he smiled.

With that, Castiel was pushed towards his room. He gave in and started walking, still smiling, finding comfort in the happy memories that had resurfaced.

_**YAY! drama. anyhoo, fav, follow, comment, or pm for a shoutout! Also, share with your friends! See ya whenever I get the time to update again! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	27. There's Something Stuck to Their Shoe

I know. I'm an awful person. More at the bottom. just, please take this chapter as a peace offering. please don't hate me for not updating more often.

_**Chapter 27**_

_**There's Something Stuck to Their Shoe...**_

After a few hours of being in the Impala and listening to Dean's extensive collection of classic rock, Lexi was dozing in her seat.

"Don't fall asleep! We're almost there!" Sam exclaimed, noting his passengers falling head and tired disposition.

"Sam. We're just over halfway through Colorado."

"So?"

"The halfway point we're driving to is a motel in Utah! That's at least three more hours!"

"The roads we're taking and the speed we're going, knock that down at _least _another thirty minutes. And thus, I repeat my earlier statement: So?"

"So, I'm gonna need to sleep sometime soon. Might as well be in the car." Lexi started to hunker down again but was interrupted by Sam saying something that Lexi couldn't make out. "Did you say something?"

Sam blushed and kept his eyes glued to the road. "I said, 'Don't leave me alone.'"

Lexi couldn't tell if he was joking or serious. If he was joking, then why would he not be looking at her? To keep from laughing? But, if he was being serious…

"Fine." She said with a sigh, straightening herself in the passenger's seat, "but you're getting me food." Sam smiled and veered to the right side of the road, where a sign read "Aunt Rachael's Good Eating, Exit 3 Miles ahead"

Once they were at the diner, Lexi perked up at the smell of food. Burgers, fries, milkshakes, this was a classic diner! As she sat down at a small, two-person booth, Lexi got in her purse and examined the contents of her wallet. Sam saw this and quickly stopped her.

"It's on me." he said.

"No, really, you don't have to do that."

"It's no problem, really! Check it out." Sam tossed a plastic card on the table. Lexi picked it up and examined it.

"No…" she said, a crooked grin covering her face.

"Yeah."

"Seriously?"

"I know! How else are we supposed to live? Hunting doesn't exactly pay the bills. Even _we_ have to eat."

Lexi looked around and lowered her voice, "Fake credit cards? What if you get caught?"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno. We just don't."

"But who, in their right mind, would think of you as" She glanced at the name imprinted on the card, "Ace Thorn? WAIT." Lexi took a closer look at the card and started laughing hysterically, leaving Sam wondering what was so funny.

"What? What is it?"

Before Lexi could explain, a waitress came over and asked for their order. Lexi stopped laughing long enough to order a burger and a side salad and Sam went with the house Salad. They each ordered a milkshake. As the waitress left, Lexi's cackling turned into a light chuckle.

"Okay, what's so funny?"

Still smiling wildly, Lexi asked Sam, "Did your brother make this for you?"

"Yeah… So…"

"I don't know, it could have been an accident, but, your name on this reads 'Ace Thorn'. But when I first read it, I thought it said 'Asa Thor' another name for the Norse god Thor, who you seem to bear a striking resemblance to."

Sam's head tilted back, his face breaking into a grin. "That explains why one of his cards says 'Roger Stevens'."

That got a laugh out of Lexi just as their food showed up.

It was mid afternoon and pleasant weather could be seen for miles on either side of the diner. Lexi laughed as they discussed the names they had gone by on cases. The conversation remained light-hearted until Sam tensed up.

"What's wrong? Did I say something?" Lexi saw how tense he was and automatically assumed it was her doing. Sam looked her in the eyes and plastered a clearly fake smile on his face. Through gritted teeth, he started explaining their current situation.

"There's something stuck to my shoe."

Lexi's whole body went numb. She hadn't heard that term used since her parents were alive. She decided not to freak out. For all she knew, the Winchesters didn't use that code. Plus, who would be following them? Lexi turned a 180 and hailed the waitress while she took stock of the rest of the customers. A small family, a few teens, an older couple and, ah! two men with trucker hats that weren't eating.

Lexi must have looked concerned because Sam leaned in and started to explain, but was cut off by Lexi.

"For me and my brother, the term 'I have something stuck to my shoe' means-"

"Got it. Here's the plan. I don't know how to fight these sons of bitches, so I'm going to go to the bathroom and leave out the window while you pay for our check. I'll wait one minute before meeting you at the Impala where we can ditch these demonic bastards and hopefully avoid us a fight in the process. You ready?"

Sam was taken back at the control that Lexi had taken. He was usually the one to come up with the plans, but this one sounded pretty solid. Sam responded with a weak "I… I guess…"

"Alright, let's roll." Lexi got up from the two-seated booth and walked to the restroom.

_1, 2, 3,_

Her mind was racing as she started to count out sixty seconds. She felt like an idiot, sending Sam out the front and running from the danger she had become accustomed to, but, she didn't know what else to do.

_37, 38, 39, 40,_

If Lexi had left the plan to Sam, he would probably have her fight. Anything _not _vampire was new territory for the huntress. Sure, she had only briefly been told how to deal with ghosts in preparation for the hunt. But _demons? _Demons were a big deal.

_56, 57, 58, 59, 60._

Lexi had found the window and was now letting herself out, getting mud on her jeans in the process. _Fuck. I just washed these._ She thought, trying to get her mind off the fact that she was on the lam from two demon-possessed truckers.

She quickly and quietly made her way around to the front of the restaurant. Lexi could clearly see Sam leaning against the driver's side of the Impala, looking over his shoulder, then back to searching the parking lot for his partner in crime. When his eyes caught Lexi's, Sam's face lit up, leading Lexi to do the same. As Lexi neared Sam, they shared a sigh of relief, but before she could give Sam an attack hug, Lexi saw Sam get knocked in the head with a baseball bat and fumble to the ground. The last thing she remembered was a brown sack being thrown over her head followed by a stinging pain in her neck and darkness.

_**Okay! So! What have Sam and Lexi gotten themselves into this time?! **_

alright. cutting the crap, I'm really sorry to all of you who look forward to these updates. I understand that this is a responsibility, but between school, family, emotions, friends, and a job, it's hard for me to find any free time at all, much less inpiration to write about. I do have the next few chapters written out, so I'll try to get myself on here more often. Sorry, please don't hate me. ~Ad.

_**~Ad&amp;Al**_


	28. The Truth can Hurt a Little

_**Here's your update! Special thanks to RoseKenzie for fav and following!**_

_**warning: large amounts of fluff**_

_**Chapter 28**_

_**The Truth Can Hurt A Little**_

Darkness.

Darkness was the last thing Lexi remembered before opening her eyes to see a young Winchester getting the snot kicked out of him by a trucker.

Memories came flooding back to her as she assessed the situation.

_Good guys: Me and Sam, both currently tied to chairs with good-strength ropes in knots. _

_Bad guys: Two demons in trucker form, bulky, difficult to over power._

_Motive as to why they're keeping us here: Not a fucking clue. _

_Situation Assessed._

_Conclusion: We're screwed._

"Sam…" Lexi choked out. Her throat felt like sandpaper. Sam was tied up in a chair about seven feet in front of her, and three feet to the left. Just enough to so that she could see his bleeding features. The trucker currently bludgeoning Sam looked up. He was about 5'10" with graying brown hair covered by a mesh trucker hat that had a worn out "Waffle Hut" patch across the front of it. He looked to Lexi with deep black eyes and grinned, showing his own yellowing human teeth. Somehow, the fact that his smile was so _human_ made the whole situation worse.

"Hey, Sal!" He shouted with a husky southern accent, "Looks like the pretty one's awake!"

From the shadows in the corner of the room came another man with black eyes, presumably, Sal.

He whistled, taking a long look at Lexi, looking somewhat impressed. "Took you long enough! Me and Georgie here took bets. I owe ya five bucks, Georgie. I really didn't think she'd wake up."

"Why?" Lexi choked out.

"Well, I think my buddy here hit you a little too hard. That, plus the drugs could put people a bad place. You're lucky you woke up at all!"

"No!" Lexi said, frustrated, "That's not what I was asking! Why are you beating on Sam? At least avoid his face. A dislocated nose might take away from his natural attractiveness!"

Sam's face contorted into some combination of surprise, confusion, and flattery. The demon captures looked impressed with themselves. Lexi was mentally slapping herself in the face, _What the hell was that, Lexi? _"Wait," she said aloud, "What drugs?"

Sal strolled over to her while Georgie looked at Sam, then faced the huntress.

"The kinda drugs that make you tell the truth, darlin'." the Waffle Hut demon said, now giving her his full attention. Sam wiggle his hands, showing you the knot that was confining him. _Amateurs._ Lexi thought, as she could easily identify the knot they had used.

"Why me and not him?" Lexi asked, throwing the demon's attention to Sam, who was still looking at Lexi as she mouthed _HANDCUFF KNOT. _Sam nodded and looked to the demons just in time to get their answer.

"Oh, honey," Sal said, "You've been out for a while. We already got all the info we needed from Moose over there." _Moose? Oh my god, he does look like a moose! _"The drugs in his body have already worn out. Yours are just now kicking in. The boss is gonna be happy when he hears we got one of the Winchesters _and_ one of their pets."

"Who's the boss?" Lexi asked, though she was trying to keep her mouth closed.

"Who else?" Sal said, "Crowley."

"I don't know who that is." _Don't tell them that, Lexi, jeez. _

Sal looked to her with a flicker of doubt. "Crowley is the king of Hell, honey. We've been looking out for the Winchesters cuz they've been quiet a little too long. And now, that we've figured out what you were after, I'm sure he won't mind we took a few vacation days."

"So he doesn't know you have us here?" Lexi asked, a plan forming in her mind.

"Nope," Georgie said, looking impressed with himself. Sal slapped his shoulder.

"Don't tell them that ya dope!"

"Sorry,"

"Well now it's your turn." Sal smiled evilly at Lexi, "I'm going to ask you a few questions and you're going to answer them. Okay?"

"Okay." _Dammit._ Lexi thought.

"What's your name?"

"Lexi"

"Is that your full name?"

_Say yes. Say yes. Say yes._ "No." _Dammit._

"What's your full name, then?"

_Say something stupid. Say Reginald. Say Katie. Say anything except, _"Alexis." _Dammit!_

The demons only smiled at each other. Lexi buckled in for another series of questions she didn't want to answer. Focusing hard, she didn't think about the questions she was being asked, but instead, the letters in the words in the questions. Her eyes closed as another statement was appointed to her.

"How long have you been the Winchester's bitch?"

In her mind, she felt the correct answer, about two weeks, and the words started to erupt from her throat. However, before the syllables passed her lips, she caught herself. "About two… months."

Sam looked confused, but Lexi wasn't looking. She was too busy focusing on the demons.

"How long have you been hunting demons like us?" Georgie asked.

Again, Lexi centered her mind on the lie she was about to attempt.

"Since I was ten years old and one of you killed my sister." _Okay, _Lexi thought, _not a complete lie, but still, pretty good._

"Sammy here said something about how special you are." Sal said, "What'd he mean?"

"Well, I don't know what he meant by special. Do you mean like special like mentally retarded? Cuz I'm not that. I have like ADHD and stuff but nothing as severe as that. If you mean special like unique, I guess I am. When I was little I used to go to this music festival every year and whenever they picked someone from the audience they always picked me. I don't know why, they just said I was special. So that could be what he was talking about. He might mean like special like attractive, but I don't think that's what he meant cuz he's way hotter than I am. I mean like _waaaaay_ hotter. Like, yeah, I'm cute and everything but there's nothing beyond that. I'm way too tall for a girl and I weigh too much and whenever I smile I get a dimple. Not dimples. A single dimple on the left side of my face, see?" Lexi smiled and the demons looked shocked by the amount of information coming out of her. They shrugged and stepped closer, but before they could ask anything else, Waffle Hut yelled and faded to ash, followed by Sal.

Sam stood behind them with the demon knife in his hand and rope still tied around one of his wrists.

Lexi smiled, "Thank God! I wasn't sure how much longer I could talk for! Well, knowing me, probably quite a bit longer. What kind of knife was that?" she asked, still obviously being affected by the drug.

"It's a demon knife. One of the only things on earth that can kill a demon." Sam smirked as he rushed behind Lexi to untie her.

"That's sexy." Sam finished untying Lexi and gave her an odd look. "That's what I meant!" another look from Sam and Lexi spoke again, "I meant 'That's NOT what I meant'."

As Lexi stood, she yawned, causing Sam to yawn too. "Damn," Lexi said, "You're even hot when you yawn! WAIT NOT I DIDN'T MEAN TO SAY THAT dammit." Sam just laughed.

"Come on, luckily they were alone and haven't told anybody. We should get going."

Once they got to the car, Sam and Lexi stayed silent for a while. After about an hour passed, Sam broke the silence. "How did you do it?"

Lexi was half asleep as the adrenaline rush had worn off, "How did I do what?"

"Not tell the truth. You did it twice. You've only been hunting with us a few weeks, but you told _them_ a few months. And demons didn't kill your sister, or at least, that you know of, and anyway, you were seven when that happened…"

"Damn you have a good memory," Lexi mumbled wistfully, "SORRY I guess the drugs are still wearing off."

"Okay, but how did you do it?"

"What? Lie? I don't know. I just focused. I didn't think it was that difficult. Why? Couldn't you?"

"No. You were out the entire time they were questioning me, but I tried to lie and I couldn't."

"Hm. Guess I'm just stronger than you." Sam smiled, but Lexi wasn't finished yet, "Mentally, I mean. Physically, you win. I mean, seriously, I can see your muscles through your fifty thousand layers! GODDAMMIT LEXI WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING!?"

The fact that Lexi had said all of that out loud left Sam laughing for the next five minutes.

"You should get some sleep," Sam said, "Before you start telling me the story of how you lost your virginity." Sam continued to laugh, but was punched by Lexi.

"There's no way I'm telling you about August Linet from North Dakota when I was 18! DAMMIT SONOVABITCH i hate you." Lexi crossed her arms while Sam pulled the car over. He decided it was probably best to not be driving while he was laughing so hard he couldn't see straight. Lexi's face was bright red when Sam got back in the car.

"Go to sleep, Lexi. I'll wake you up when we get to a motel." Sam was still smiling. Lexi almost said something, but thought better of it. Sam took off one of his jackets and threw it to her. She balled it up and used it as a pillow.

Sam had decided to continue driving until they were about a quarter of the way to Oregon. Once he started to feel tired, he pulled over at a motel and got one room with two beds. Lexi had slept all the way there and was still sleeping in the passenger's side of the Impala when Sam emerged from the lobby with a room key. Sam smiled and opened up the door closest to Lexi. Picking her up bridal style, she only stirred a little bit, muttering something like "I can do it by myself" and then fell back to sleep in his arms. He walked her into the room and set her down on one of the beds. Lexi opened her eyes a bit and smiled. "Thank you… moose." she faded back to sleep.

"Anytime, blondie."

_**Yay! sorry about the uploading times. awful. I know. I'm really sorry to anybody who actually looks forward to this story. I'll try to update more often. sorry. ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	29. A Stiff Situation

_**I know I'm an awful person. Please take these TWO chapters as my apology.**_

_**Thanks and stuff**_

_**Chapter 30**_

_**A Stiff Situation**_

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Cas?"

"Dean, that is the 17th time you've asked that and it was only a two hour drive. I'm fine."

Castiel had convinced Dean to let him tag along to get the next ingredient. Conveniently, a case popped up only a few hours away that looked like it might be what they needed. A few people in Jacksonville had lost their motor ability out of the blue, so the hunters were at the hospital that housed them.

"Can I help you?" a middle-aged woman with brown curly hair walked up to Cas and Dean. She was wearing a lab coat and holding a clipboard. Her name tag read "Dr. Melissa McCall", and she was obviously put off by the two men in suits.

"Yes," Dean replied, "I'm Agent Hetfield and this is Agent…" Dean sighed, "Styles. We're from the CDC and we're here to take a closer look at the group of people that were recently paralyzed."

"Oh, of course, pod C7B. We've been expecting someone, but we were supposed to get a call first."

"Well, you know the higher-ups, they've always got something better to do."

"I should hope not. This may be a new virus on our hands and the recent outbreak is more than we can handle."

Dean knotted his eyebrows, "Outbreak? I thought it was just a few of your elderly residents."

"That's how it started," Dr. McCall seemed distressed as she started walking towards an elevator. The boys followed. In the elevator, the doctor continued to explain, "When one of our younger patients got a visit from her grandparents, they were about to leave when they both fell, causing a few bruises and a concussion for one. They were admitted through the urgent care. We assumed it was due to their old age and purely coincidental that they were both affected at the same time. Right this way," The doors opened to a sea of plastic. Staralyzing mist was ejected into the small area before they walked further onto the floor. There were about a dozen people moving from room to room with masks covering their faces, gloves and blue paper socks covering their shoes.

"Is all of this really necessary?" Dean asked as he and Castiel each handed a mask.

"You tell me. After the two Patient 0's were admitted, the virus spread to every person on the floor. This whole pod is now paralyzed and the only thing we can do is isolate them and order more wheelchairs."

"Can you show us to the two grandparents rooms?" Castiel spoke up.

"Right this way," the woman ushered the two men to two rooms at the end of one of the halls. Looking inside, they could see a woman sleeping with a neck brace. When they peeked into the other of the two rooms, they were expecting to see a similar scene. Instead, they ran into a small hispanic woman in a dark green janitorial jumpsuit. The room was polished clean and the bed was empty.

"Maria," Dr. McCall asked the woman, "Where's Mr. Kline?"

"Mr. Kline passed away a few hours ago. Sorry, I just go where I'm sent. Excuse me, it's time for the afternoon sweep of the rooms." Maria pushed a cart past them, leaving nothing but confused faces.

"I'm sorry, Agents," The doctor continued, "I wasn't aware of this."

"Can we see the cause of death?" Dean asked.

"Of course," Pulling the a few papers out from the clear pocket outside the door, Dr. McCall looked tired all of a sudden, "Undetermined. It could have been his old age, but he was in perfect health before he got here. If you would excuse me, I have to follow up with the doctor."

"Right," Dean said as a farewell. Then he turned towards Castiel, "Really? Styles?"

"He is a very well known artist. Wait, this whole visit and that's the first thing you ask?"

Dean sighed and looked in Mrs. Kline's room, "I think I found a place to start."

An hour later, the hunters walked out of Mrs. Kline's hospital room with her entire life story.

"Well," Dean spoke as the exited the room, "I thought I knew every way to torture somebody, but here, I have a first-hand experience with the latest and greatest. That was awful."

"Normally I would argue, but that woman did seem very adamant about telling us all about herself."

"And we're no closer to our monster than we were an hour ago."

"We know that her family were hunters." Cas said with hope lining his words.

"Yeah, but not _our_ kind of hunters. These people hunted wild animals. There's no way that has anything to do with the fact that she can't move anything from her shoulders down."

The hunters were at a loss. Looking around the pod of hospital rooms, they could see that the halls were no longer teeming with life. The staff seemed to have dispersed, leaving a few nurses sitting at computers and a doctor or two milling from room to room with carts carrying medication. Nobody seemed to notice the hunters, so they stayed off to the side of the hall and talked.

"We know what we're looking for," Castiel said, "This is definitely an Oduzet hexbag."

"Yeah, but why all these people? What connects them?"

"I don't know, Dean, but if these people were all paralyzed by the same witch, maybe we should go somewhere private."

Dean's face turned to a deeper red. "Private? W- What do you mean, 'Private'?"

Castiel's head tilted as he gazed at Dean, "I mean to say that the witch could be here. If we are to continue this conversation, we should probably leave to the point where we aren't within earshot of other people. What did you think I meant?"

"That." Dean answered quickly, "Yeah, you're probably right. Let's get back to the motel." Dean put a hand protectively on his pocket, patting it and walking the direction of the hospitals exit.


	30. Pain for You, Same for Me

_**Chapter 30 Part 2**_

_**Pain for You, Same for Me**_

"Are you sure we're headed in the right direction?" Sam asked Lexi. He was driving the Impala up a very old dirt road that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Dead trees littered the ground around the road and Sam thought that they were lost.

"I'm sure! I have a very good memory. In about a quarter mile, there's going to be a fork in the road. Keep left, past the "Keep Out" signs. There should be a big field that that has nothing but an old church in it."

Sam wasn't so sure about his partner's memory, but, lo and behold, a quarter mile came to pass and there was a fork in the road. On the right, the road seemed to lead directly to city lights. Even miles away, the hunters could practically feel the city teeming with life. To the left, however, the road seemed even more narrow than before. Down the path, they could see the wildlife start to die down as the amount of "Beware", "Private Property", and "Keep out" signs got higher.

With a heavy breath, Sam turned onto the left path. They rode in silence as they approached the church.

The church that awaited them was large, two stories at least, and had tall spires coming out of the top. Windows spotted the walls ominously, their shutters made it seem that they were staring down at the hunters, daring them to come inside. The white paint was chipping and, in some spots, missing. Once Sam circled the church, he parked the car in the front.

"Now, I want you to stay back a little bit, okay?" Sam told Lexi once they exited the Impala.

"Yeah, right."

"No, Lexi, I mean it."

Lexi stared at him in disbelief, "What do you mean? I thought I was along for the ride? Especially since the whole demon thing on the way here, I think I'm pretty prepared for this!"

"I know you are, but I need you to stay behind me all the way through this. It won't take long, so we'll be back on the road by sundown."

"Sam! I've got this! You told me everything I need to know to kill this whore nun! Plus I've got good training. What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem!" Sam said, voice rising to a yell, "I just need _you_ to stay back while I deal with this. I don't want you getting in the way."

The silence that fell was deadly. Sam could feel the color drain from his face as he realized what he just said. Through the darkness of the night, he could see Lexi's face fall. She reached into the Impala's trunk and grabbed a shotgun with salt rounds.

"Look," Sam tried to amend his words, "I didn't mean to-"

"Yes you did." There was a note of finality in her voice that sent shivers down Sam's spine. Sam was about to stop Lexi and apologize when both the hunters head snapped towards a crashing sound coming from the church.

Eye contact was made, a silent understanding that Lexi would follow orders for now, but this was not the end of the conversation.

They entered the church. At first glance, it was a very normal place. A small room stood before them with two sets of large double doors, probably leading into the main hall. In between the two sets of doors stood a large crucifix that was stained from time. The wood was lighter around the center, leading the hunters to believe that it once held a statue of Jesus. All around the shrine, there were flyers and pictures, but they were mostly covered in graffiti. A few cuts in the plywood and plaster seemed to be remnants of a fight gone bad. All of these combined gave the room a creepy feel, but the most terrifying things in the room were leaning against the far wall. Three bikes were leaning against the wall and one had fallen. Lexi's flashlight illuminated them, then, with terror lining her words, she spoke, "There's kids in here."

Lexi didn't know what to do. After having been told by Sam to stay out of the way, Lexi had no interest in giving the satisfaction of being left behind. However, she didn't have any interest in dying either. Stay out of his way and let him do his thing? or, Deliberately disobey him because he needed to be taken down a peg? Tough choice.

Then things changed. Then Lexi shone her flashlight on three teenager-sized bikes and realized that it wasn't just her life in the balance.

_Stay out of his way, then. _She thought, _let him do his thing._

They opened one of the doors and looked at the giant hall before them. They quickly walked passed the pews with their guns raised at the ready. Once they reached the podium, Sam looked to Lexi.

"So, where are they?"

"What?"

"The bones! Where are the bones!"

"Oh," Lexi put a hand on her hip, "so, _now_ you need my help! I thought I was supposed to stay out of the way!"

Sam sighed, "Look, you've been here before, okay? Do you know where they are or not?"

Lexi huffed and rolled her eyes, "Follow me."

Lexi lead Sam to a door that was off to the side of the podium, down a staircase and into the basement. They went through a few more doors before reaching a small, office-like room that had a few dusty boxes piled in one corner. Other than the fact that the room was carpeted with old paperwork, not much there seemed out of the ordinary. But then, Lexi shone her flashlight onto the far wall. There, a door, barely four feet tall, stood slightly ajar.

"Great," Sam said, "I'll go in first, follow my lead." He was about to step forward until Lexi's hand shot out in front of him. He gave her a confused look, but she replied by moving her beam of light to the files that were littering the ground. There seemed to be a trail of papers that were obviously recently moved. Upon closer inspection, there were dark red marks around the small door.

"The kids are down there," she said, "Those are marks from bloody hands trying to avoid being pulled down there!"

Sam shut off his flashlight and gestured for Lexi to do the same. Once they were in darkness, they could see that there was a faint light bleeding from the small doorway. Lexi took a few paces towards the door, just enough so that she could see through the opening.

The door wasn't open very far, probably seven inches, Lexi guessed. Through it, she could see the situation. The portal lead directly to a downward slope that suddenly dropped into the basement. There, the concrete was cracked and some was missing, a hole, about six feet long, was free of cement. Instead, dirt was visible as well as a few gray bumps. At first, Lexi thought they were rocks, but looking closer, she saw they were bones. In the far corner of the room, three teenagers sat huddled together. A girl with brown, messy hair, and two boys, one blonde and one a darker brunette than the girl. The girl had her hands around her wrist in a hopeless attempt to stop it from bleeding.

Lexi was about to yell down to see if they were okay, but then she noticed that they were all staring at a figure in the other corner. How Lexi missed this figure in the first place, she didn't know. From its clothing and stance, Lexi could tell this was one of the sinner nun's.

Sam leaned forward so that he could listen to what the ghost was saying.

"...glad you finally made it. I've been looking for virgin blood for a very long time. Ever since those damn blood-suckers came and went… I'll start with the blonde boy. After he bleeds out, I'll probably only need one of you to finish covering my bones."

"Covering her bones? What does she mean?" Lexi looked at Sam, who was setting down his gun and shoving a small iron rod into his jacket. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I have to save those kids," he responded, setting his feet by the doorway, "stay out here. If I need you, I'll call."

"Wait! Don't you-" But Lexi was cut off by Sam sliding down the shoot and directly into the ghost.


	31. Wait For It

_**"WHAT. NOTHING FOR FOUR. MONTHS. AND NOW THREE CHAPTERS! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?"**_

wow. you guys are gonna hate me for this.

_**Chapter 31**_

_**Wait. For. It….**_

"Cas! Go up to the pod and call if there's any change. I'll chase her down and burn the bitch!" Dean yelled as he turned a corner that lead to an alley behind the hospital.

Dean and Cas had been working all day. They went to Patient 0's home, but left without finding anything. Though, Dean didn't look very carefully. He had forgotten the fact that the family hunted animals, so there was an awful lot of taxidermy staring at him. Luckily, Cas volunteered to swipe the place while Dean "questioned the family". Once finished, the angel reported nothing out of the ordinary in the house.

In fact, Castiel was more than a little bit helpful as he had put together most of the clues that lead to their conclusion. The fact that all the victims had been effected while already in the hospital was a biggie. That one should have been obvious right away, but Dean excused himself as he was thinking of other things. The one that _really_ stood out was that they had all, at some point, been seen by the same doctor. The one and the only…

"Dr. McCall, you've made a mistake!" Dean said with his gun pointed. Apparently, Melissa McCall didn't know the layout of the hospitals surrounding areas very well. She had run herself into a dead end, "Nowhere to go."

Melissa's hands went up, "Wha- What do you want?", she asked, raising her hands, "Money? I have a few dollar bills in my pocket! I left my wallet in my purse in the hospital. I can go get it if you want! I won't tell anyone, I swear, not even my own son!"

Dean squinted. This was not what he was expecting from a witch. "Why did you paralyze all those people? What did they ever do to you?"

"What!?" the doctor exclaimed, lowering her hands just a bit, "What do you mean? We've run every test in the book and still don't know how they got that way! Why do you think I did it?"

Dean held lowered his gun just enough to speak to her, "Nice act, Salem Sister, but you're not fooling me. All the vics had already met with you. How do you explain _that_?"

She lowered her hands even further, bring them to her sides, but still out so that the "Agent" could see them, "Oh. I thought that was a coincidence," her gaze fell towards the ground, as if searching for answers there. With that, Dean lowered his gun, realizing that this isn't their witch.

"What do you mean?" He asked, walking forward and tucking his gun into his belt.

"I didn't even notice at first, but then I caught one of the patients, a woman in her late 20's, talking to a janitor and realized that she had already met the team."

"Team?"

"Well, yeah," she continued, still wary of the man before her, "Obviously," she gestured to the construction behind Dean, "They've been renovating some of the older parts of the hospital. I used to work with a small team of nurses and other staff in a pod in the East wing, A3B, but we all got transferred over here," she gestured to one of the walls surrounding her, "we got some new members and have been working in C7B ever since."

"Okay, so, if you didn't do this… Wait! Who was the janitor the lady was talking to?"

"Um, Maria, I think."

"Is she working right now?" Dean's voice was getting louder. Dr. McCall stopped to think, but Dean pressed on, "IS SHE WORKING RIGHT NOW?!" He screamed.

"Yeah! I saw her not 15 minutes ago, cleaning out the rooms, why?"

Dean looked towards the hospital building, hoping all hope this didn't mean what he thought it meant, "Cas…" Dean mumbled and raced towards his angel, not knowing what awaited Cas in C7B.

Dean didn't know what he was expecting to be waiting for him in C7B, but what he found was hard to comprehend. Normalcy. Everything was calm. There was the normal hospital sounds, beeping of machines, chatting of voices, rolling of carts, but nothing beyond that. No screams, cries for help, or signs of demolition. It was all… standard.

A nurse spoke up, "Oh, Agent, Hetfield, was it? Your partner came by a few minutes ago and-" Dean rushed to the woman, leaning in as far as possible over the counter that separated them.

"Where is he?!" Dean shouted, surprised by the power he had put behind his words. Surprised by how desperate he was for Castiel to be okay. Again, the hunter found one of his hands protectively reaching for his pocket.

"He- He said to tell you that he was going to interview the janitor! They went down that hall!" the nurse pointed, obviously feeling threatened. Without second thought, Dean raced down the hallway, only to find no angel and a dead end that lead directly to the janitorial closet.

Dean was thankful that the door was already ajar because kicking it in would create a scene. He peeked into the room without opening the door first, he could see the back of Maria's head, and Castiel, who was pinned to the wall to the left of the door by an invisible force.

"...hunters…" she was saying, "Whether supernatural or not, you're all devils in disguise."

When Cas saw Dean, his eyes pleaded and Dean instinctively started looking for a plan. He pushed the door open a bit more, but the witch didn't notice because she was mid-rant.

"Do you know how good I've been? Eh? 384 years! I hadn't hurt so much as a fly since _1631_. That's a good streak!..."

Dean could now see shelves and shelves of cleaning fluid on the far wall, and formulated a plan.

The witch continued, "Then, they took him from me…"

"Who?" Cas's voice rang out.

"My sweet Petey."

"Petey?"

The sound of the name coming from Castiel's lips enraged the witch, causing her to tighten his invisible bonds, "My familiar! He was my best friend, yet he was torn away from me. Those damn imbeciles dare to call themselves hunters when they mistook my gentle Petey for a stalking deer!"

Dean locked eyes with Cas and pointed to the wall of shelves and cleaning supplies, instructing Castiel to knock over whatever he could. The angel tried to move from the wall, but he couldn't, so he devised his own plan.

"When I found Petey, he had shifted from his Great Dane form back to himself. He could not move his feet and, slowly, his entire body became paralyzed. That's when I took out the old couple. It felt even better than I remembered. I had to do it again! I couldn't help mysel-"

_Ptew! _

Everything stopped as they all registered what had just happened. Dean couldn't believe it. Castiel had actually _spit_ on this bitch. Mid-tirade!

The witch slowly brought her hand to her face and wiped the saliva off her cheek. As her face reddened, she screamed and threw the angel against the wall of shelves, effectively spilling a few buckets of cleaning supplies.

Dean knocked the door down loudly, getting the attention of the witch and freeing Castiel. Within moments, Castiel made a run for the door, shoving the witch along the way, Dean's lighter was flaming, and the cleaning supplies was making good fuel for fire. Dean closed the door the second Castiel made it out, refusing to open it, even when the witch screamed and banged on it. Once the witch fell silent and the smell grew too strong, Castiel tapped on Dean's back and showed him the fire extinguisher he had found. Dean nodded and opened the door. The fire was out, the witch was dead, and the only remnants of fire appeared on the charred clothing of the hunters.

After the fire department cleared the building, the "Federal Agents" were allowed inside to "Investigate further into the explosion". Once they jumped through all the hoops, they easily found the witch's hex bag stash. Gathering them all into their pockets, Dean and Castiel found one that had a witch's dime in it.

They returned to the motel a few hours later. The hunters found it difficult to deal with the clean-up. Even Dean, who was an expert at talking his way out of situations, had a hard time coming up with an explanation. Castiel eventually used a bit of his mojo to convince the police it was a workplace mishap and did not, in any way, correlate with all the patients gaining back their motor skills.

The second they entered the motel room, Dean headed straight to the shower, throwing his fed jacket on the ground at the foot of the cleaner of the two beds. Castiel began to say something when Dean interrupted, "Choose a bed. I don't care."

Castiel gave his very own bitch-face to the bathroom door as he heard the shower running and Dean getting inside. _Filthy. Can't even clean up after himself._ Castiel thought. He bent down to retrieve Dean's jacket, but heard a small thud on the ground. The angel was, at first, perplexed as to what he was seeing, but then it became clear. Castiel was now looking down at a small velvet box that had fallen out of Dean's jacket pocket.

_**"SERIOUSLY. YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THAT"**_yeah. pretty much. :P

~Ad&amp;Al


	32. Ghostly Flirtations

_**Chapter 32**_

_**Ghostly Flirtations**_

Lexi was stunned. _Did he really just do that?_ She was still for a minute, taking in what just happened. Slowly, she began to comprehend that Sam _must_ have a plan. It's not like the hunter would just throw himself into the ghost's den without having thought of a plan and knowing that said plan is going to work!

Shit.

That sounds _exactly_ like something Sam would do.

Lexi's mind reeled. A million thoughts came into her head. _Does he have a plan? Of course he has a plan. Why would he leave me up here? Am I really that much trouble? Damn, I've got to take it down a notch. I have to help him. I _cannot _go back to the bunker without him. Dean will kill me and not bother to hide the body._

The next few thoughts were basically Lexi stringing together every cuss words she knew in every combination she could think of.

"What are you doing!?" The nun's voice jarred Lexi out of her thoughts.

"Oh," Sam's voice chimed, as if he had just accidentally run into someone on the street, "So sorry, I was just…" There was a pause and Lexi was afraid that she was supposed to do something, "looking! Looking for my… little sister!" Sam stuttered out, pointing to the girl that was sat between the two boys.

The translucent nun's head swivelled towards the children in the opposite corner, "Do you know this man?" _Really? Not, "I'm going to kill you!" or even, "Get out of here before I use your blood for makeup!"? Noob. _

The girl went wide-eyed and stared at her captor, obviously not knowing how to respond. Sam was nodding his head vigorously, trying to tell the girl what to say.

"Yeah," She spoke up, then looked to the hunter, "What are you doing here?" Though she spoke through gritted teeth, the ghost didn't seem to notice.

"Well then," she said, turning to the hunter, "I'll have to introduce myself, I am sister Katherine. Tonight, your little sister will have the honor of bringing me back to life."

Sam acted stunned, "_Back_ to life? Wait. Are- are you dead?"

If it were possible, the ghost may have just blushed. "Yes. I have been for a while, but I won't be for long!"

"Wow. You look great! I mean, I noticed earlier how pretty you are, but now that I know you're dead, that just makes it more amazing!"

Lexi couldn't help but be a little bit disturbed at what was happening. Obviously he was trying to distract her or stall, but, what was he stalling for? Was Lexi supposed to know what to do? Lexi wasn't sure what she was hearing, but she didn't like it.

"Do you do some kind of make-up regimen?" Sam questioned, but Lexi was focusing on the kids in the opposite corner. The two boys were holding the girl, and they seemed to be trying to make an escape plan. Lexi could see them pointing to the hatch they had fallen, (or been dragged), into, and trying to figure out a way to escape.

Then, Lexi saw it. The golden ticket.

The escape hatch.

There was a small window behind the kids where the wall met the ceiling. From there, Lexi could see a bit of moonlight seeping through a bit of dirt. Without thinking, she left through the front entrance of the church and circled it, finding the right window and peeking in.

From there, Lexi got a new perspective of the room. She saw Sam, still talking to the ghost, right below a long metal rectangle sprouting from the ceiling, the shoot. In a corner near Sam lay a few backs with random things, wallets, flashlights, perfume, spilling out of them. _These kids came prepared_, Lexi thought. Past a few small layers of dirt, she was confronted with her next problem. It was locked. From the inside. Lexi was at a loss, she could break the window, but that would definitely draw Sister Katherine's attention. Lexi was jolted out of her brain-storm by an unexpected sound. The sound of silence.

For some reason, Sam had stopped talking, leaving the ringing in Lexi's ear searching for a sound to keep it company. She hesitantly leaned forward, getting a better view of the room that the silence was seeping from. Sam's eyes were looking directly at Lexi, not even attempting to hide the fact that he was staring. Sister Katherine didn't seem to mind. The ghost was digging into her grave. The dirt hardly moved, shifting a little once her hand touched it and then the earth seemed to remember that she was a ghost and fell straight through her palm.

As the ghost sprang back to life, she questioned Sam.

"What are you looking at?" she asked.

Sam was shocked and Lexi turned as far away from the window as she possibly could. Though muffled, she could still hear Sam responding, "Just, my sister. I think her ankle is hurt. I need to get her to the hospital."

_Smooth_.

While the nun turned towards the children, Sam pointed up, through the window that Lexi was staring through. Sam was good at many things, and Lexi was more than a little surprised to find out that mimeing was one of them. Somehow, he managed to tell the kids that they needed to unlock the window above them so they could escape. All that within the few moments that the ghost wasn't facing him.

_Very smooth_.

Lexi turned back just in time to see Sam's mime show and the ghost turn back to the hunter. At this point, Lexi's adrenaline was pumping so hard that she could hardly hear any of the conversation coming from inside. She took off her jacket, ready to use it as a rope for the kids. She saw a small hand reach up to the window's lock and, for a stunned moment, she thought it might be the hand of Sister Katherine. Seeing the hand unlatch the window, Lexi reached for it and pulled up the small blonde boy that was attached to it.

"Are you alright?" Lexi whispered.

"Sure." the boy mumbled, "I just got kidnapped by the ghost of prostitutes past and dragged into a basement where I was supposed to bleed out. Just another TGIFriday!"

Lexi snickered as she reached her hand back through the windowsill. She pulled hard, but only got the girl out with help from the other boys, one helping Lexi pull and the other supporting her as Lexi pulled her to freedom, an absolutely terrified look on her face.

"Hey sweetie," Lexi said quietly, "You're alright. Everything is gonna be fine. What's your name darling?"

"K-k-Kylie. Kylie Sanders." the girl, Kylie, stuttered out as she attempted to hold back sobs.

"Nice to meet you Kylie Sanders. My name is Lexi and I'm going to be saving your life today." The sound of screaming interrupted the huntress and her eyes shot toward the basement. The blonde haired boy had just gotten his friend out of the basement when it vanished behind flames.

_**WOO HOOO. Hoping to publish more frequently now that school has slowed down a bit. Thank for reading! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	33. The Estranged Back-up Plan

_**Chapter 33**_

_**The Estranged Backup Plan**_

Sam had a plan.

Granted he didn't have that plan when he jumped into a ghost's tomb, but he currently had a plan and that was what mattered. Lexi needed to stay out of it.

In hindsight, Sam saw how what he said _could_ have been misconstrued as mean, but he had to say it. He couldn't let her get hurt. Sure, she might be mad at him, but at least she was mad and safe. That's all that mattered.

Once he was in the basement, Sam quickly assessed the situation. He was screwed. There were three kids' life on the line. One of which needed immediate medical attention to her ankle. All of which needed immediate medical attention from a _very good_ psychologist.

However, as previously stated, he had a plan.

The first thing Sam saw when he fell was the children. The second thing was the pile of backpacks in the corner to his left. _Okay, _he thought, _get the perfume, hope it's flammable, dump it on the bitch's corpse, throw my lighter. But then there's a wall of fire in between me and the kids. How am I gonna get them out?_

Sam finally settled on burning the corpse and running through the fire to get the kids. _That's the plan. There is no possible way to get out of this Scott-Free_. All he had to do was distract the ghost so he could make his way to the kids' bags.

After a few minutes of talking, Sam was struck with surprise. In the window placed directly above the kids, he could see Lexi. Sam didn't know how to feel. Relieved? With her here it would make their chances of saving the kids a whole lot better. Mad? He _had_ told her not to get involved. Worried? This was her first time being this close to a ghost, as far as Sam was concerned, and she was risking her life just to do so. Turned on? Shit. He was actually falling for this girl.

Eventually, Sam settled on some combination of the first three, completely ignoring that last one, storing it away for a better time.

Once he saw that Lexi had gotten out the older of the two boys, the blonde one, and the girl, Sister Katherine finally noticed. It took her long enough. Sam had done so much talking and so loud that he was sure his throat was going to be sore in the morning. Sister Katherine was about to take out her revenge on the only child left in the basement, but saw pulled the iron bar he had been hiding and swung, effectively making the ghost dissipate. Sam saw the brunette boy's surprised look, but decided to let Lexi deal with it. _She's the one that wanted to help._ he thought. Sam snapped back into action. He quickly turned toward the backpacks and picked out the bottle of perfume. Sister Katherine chose this time to make her next appearance and scare the living shit out of the Winchester, forming behind him so that when he turned around he was so startled he dropped the bottle of perfume. The ghost smiled, but she had just helped her own death. The bottle shattered and its contents spread over the grave. As the witch was distracted by her laughing hysterically, Sam pulled out his lighter, clicked and threw.

The bitch was gone and the flames roared.

Sam got off with minor burns on his hands after digging to get a one of Sister Katherine's molars, but he still managed to lift himself up through the same tunnel through which he came, rushing out of the church before it had a chance to burn down on top of him. He got out just in time, narrowly avoiding the falling beams from the ceiling of the cathedral.

He made his way around the church, trying to find Lexi. He found her leaning against a tree, wrapping the young girl's ankle. The two boys seemed undamaged by the fire, they were sitting next to each other and helping Lexi in any way that they could.

Lexi's eyes lit up at the sight of Sam, happy to see the hunter got out safe.

"What the hell was that!?" Sam asked.

Lexi looked stunned, "Well, hello to you too, Sam. Glad you could join us. I was just finishing up wrapping Kylie's leg," one of the boys coughed, "with the help of Tyler and Cameron here."

The boys raised their hands as she said their names. The brown haired boy was Cameron. He and the girl were obviously a bit younger than the blonde boy, Tyler. Sam was about to speak when Lexi interrupted.

"I'll catch you up," She turned to the kids, "Tyler, you and your brother help Kylie get to the front of the church. Stay as far away from the fire as possible."

"Gotcha," Tyler responded, but Cameron was already helping Kylie to her feet.

Once the kids were out of earshot, Sam repeated himself, "What the _hell_ was that?"

"That," Lexi stood and brushed off her jeans, "that was me saving the day without getting hurt. You're welcome.

"I told you to stay away! I could've handled it myself!" Sam yelled.

"Yeah, cuz that was working so well. Tell me, Sam, at what point between flirting with the ghost, and your probable death were you going to get the children out of that fire?"

Sam stared at her and attempted to stutter out an answer.

"That's what I thought."

"How did you even know the window was there?" Sam asked, having finally found his voice.

Lexi knit her eyebrows, "What do you mean? I saw it when we surveyed the area."

"What?"

"You circled the church before we went in…" Lexi said, trailing off, hoping to remind Sam.

Sam just frowned, "I was just looking for a place to park."

Lexi broke out in a laugh that roared almost as loudly as the fire. When she finally caught her breath, she looked up at Sam, "Well, I'm no Ms. Daisy! I handled it just fine, _without_ my chauffeur."

Sam stormed toward the car with Lexi trailing him. He saw Cameron in the back seat with Kylie almost asleep next to him. Cameron held her tight and was whispering comforting words in her ear. Sam smiled. He grinned even wider when he saw Tyler gently stroking the car.

"Dude! Is this a '68?!" Tyler asked.

"'67. But that was pretty impressive." Sam responded, trying to calm down and not show his frustration with the other hunter.

"Alright!" Lexi skipped to the passenger side of the car. _Speak of the Devil and she shall appear. Looking totally hot none the less._ Sam thought. Lexi turned around to the kids, "Where are we dropping you off?"

An awkward glance was shared between Tyler and Cameron. Cameron then continued to comfort Kylie. Tyler looked at Lexi and smiled, "Back the way we came. We live in a neighborhood a few miles from here."

"Wait, are you guys all siblings?"

"Nah," Tyler responded, giving a sharp look to Cameron, "Cam over there is my little brother, and Kylie is his girlfriend." Cameron looked at his brother and hissed, trying to deny it, but also attempting to not bother Kylie, who seemed to be calming down in his lap.

"Yeah, yeah, deny it all you like, you're not fooling anybody." Tyler waved his hand in dismissal at his brother.

"Alright," Sam said. He turned around in the driver's seat to face the kids in the back, "any questions?"

Sam received nothing but blank looks. Lexi cleared her throat and tapped on his shoulder.

"I already explained everything." _No way. There is no way that she could have had the talk with them in that short amount of time. They're all so calm! _

Lexi seemed to be reading his thoughts, "They're alright," she said, "They know that ghosts exist. They also know that there's a large network of people who work to eliminate them." _Oh._

"Are you guys seriously a branch of the FBI?" Tyler asked, wide eyed at the two.

Sam smiled at Lexi, _Clever. Very clever_, "Sorry, kid, that's confidential."

They rode towards a neighborhood with Lexi laughing at the hunter, suddenly all too pleased with how this hunt worked out.


	34. A Ring of Confusion (Take 2)

**_Hey! So, sorry about the wait. This chapter is kind of intense, but the next one is the one you've been waiting for!_**

_**Chapter 34**_

_**A Ring of Confusion**_

Sam kept thinking, and the more he thought about it, he deserved every bit of yelling that Lexi delivered. However, there was no way on Earth that he was gonna give in.

After dropping the kids off at their houses, Sam confronted Lexi about interrupting the hunt.

Bad idea.

The hours-long drive home was a vicious cycle of yelling, awkward silences, glaring, and sleeping for the hunters. By the time they got back to the bunker, they were hardly excited to have to recap their adventures for Dean and Cas.

Lexi felt only lucky when they entered to bunker to Dean rushing the other way, demanding for the keys to the Impala, and high-tailing it through the door, muttering something about a lost wallet.

Sam and Lexi glanced at each other and decided not to worry about Dean's wallet. Instead, they continued their fight.

"You should have stayed in the car!" Sam shouted.

"And what would you have done then, huh? You wouldn't have been able to save those kids and I would be the one dealing with you and your pouty face for the rest of the night. Sorry, I'd rather risk my life."

"Why?" Sam retorted, throwing his jacket and a few duffle bags on the ground by the couch, "I would've been a lot more pouty faced if you had died!"

Lexi took this as a compliment, but quickly continued, "At least then I wouldn't have had to deal with it!"

"I can look after myself, Lexi! I've been a hunter for a long time. I've managed to survive without you 'looking out' for me!"

"Barely! You told me all the shit you and your brother have been through, I'm surprised you're both still breathing, there's no way-"

Sam raised his hand to stop Lexi, but his face wasn't looking at the huntress. Instead, he was peeking into the study. At one of the tables sat Castiel, trenchcoat and all, staring down at something in his lap. Lexi was about to sass the Winchester into next week, but once she saw Cas, she made eye contact with Sam. A silent truce. '_Later. For now, let's deal with Cas.'_

And so they went, once they got close enough to be heard, Sam cleared his throat in an attempt to get his attention, or at least let him know that he's not alone. Castiel didn't budge. Lexi then, at full volume, asked "That was a hell of a hunt! What's up, Cas?". She walked into the room with a swagger about her that implied that she was just entering the room.

In a split second, Cas's eyes shot up, wide as a deer's in the headlights. He stood straight up and left all the color from his face in the now empty chair. A few moments felt like decades to the hunters. Castiel finally broke the silence by shoving a small something into his trench coat pocket and murmuring something along the lines of, "I'll be in my room,"

When Castiel vanished into the hallway, he left behind two very confused hunters.  
"I'll go check on him," Sam said, but was stopped by Lexi.

"Nah. You go see where your brother's gone off too. I got it."

Sam shrugged and left the bunker as Lexi strolled down the hall towards Castiel's room.

Lexi wasn't sure what to expect. More angel juice? Existential crisis? Too much peanut butter, not enough jelly? The angel was pretty vulnerable to the weight of the world. Of all the things she had guessed, Lexi was definitely _not_ expecting to see Castiel, angel of the lord, closely inspecting a golden ring.

Castiel was sitting on his bed, back hunched over his crossed legs with a ring in between under careful observation.

Lexi couldn't believe it. _Wow, _she thought, _he was actually going to propose to Dean? I thought he was mad at him!_

Now, Lexi didn't have any non-natural powers that she was aware of, (other than the whole grace thing, but she likes to think of herself as normal), but even a mere human could feel the wariness of the angel. She slowly approached the other side of the bed, the one farthest from the door, and sat down, placing a caring hand on the angel's back.

"You really love him, don't you?" Lexi asked.

Castiel opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Sam barging into the angel's room.

"-'s long gone. He said something about loosing-" both the huntress and the angel looked up at him, then Sam saw the ring, "-that. He was probably talking about _that_." Castiel and Lexi both looked at him. While Castiel's gaze was a hollow and sad one, Lexi's tore daggers into Sam's. Sam continued, "You weren't supposed to see that." Another empty look from Cas ended when he turned his face back toward the ring and the now empty ring box. Lexi spoke next.

"I wasn't supposed to see it!? You knew about this? God, Sam! I know I'm new and everything, but I'd like to think I'm important enough to be one of the first one's to know that Cas was gonna propose to Dean!"

This time, confused looks were targeted toward Lexi, and Sam gave a low huff of a chuckle, "You think you understand what's going on here?" Sam asked Lexi, stepping into the room.

"Well, duh," Lexi stood to address the Winchester, "Cas and Dean had a thing a while back and now they're fighting for some stupid reason that's probably Dean's fault but Cas still loves him, so he got him a ring and is planning to propose and why are you laughing!"

In the midst of Lexi's rambling, Sam had started to chuckle, "You've got this all wrong! _Dean_ was the one who got the ring _for Cas_."

Even though Lexi took in a huge gasp of air, her lungs felt as empty as ever as she realized the sadness of the situation. She took a slow exhale and sat back down, next to the angel who was unmoved by the discussion. "Are you okay?" Lexi asked him.

Castiel looked up at her with eyes as big as saucers. Lexi thought about how Cas had _totally_ learned the puppy dog eyes from Sam. Castiel was silent for a moment, then looked back to the ring and began to speak.

"You are both aware of my understanding of the human race," he said, eerily calm, "and, though I have only just become a part of it, I have been watching over the Earth for thousands of years. However, in those thousands of years, I still fail to understand the true perception of a golden ring. I'm afraid I may be jumping to conclusions. Would you mind explaining?"

Sam and Lexi glanced at each other and began to explain. Sam told Castiel of the purpose behind the ring and the meaning attached to it. A few times, Lexi would interrupt to add a hint of detail or a consoling hand on Cas's arm. Though occasionally the angel would ask a question or for 'that last part' to be 'rephrased', he mostly stayed silent. A few times, he welled up with tears and leant against Lexi for comfort as they fell. Sam just continued to explain. By the end of the third hour, Castiel, for the most part, finally understood.

There was a ring.

A ring for Cas.

A ring _from_ Dean _to_ Cas.

A ring that Dean had bought.

A ring that Dean had hid.

A ring that Castiel was not supposed to find.

A ring that Castiel had found.

A ring that was meant to be worn on Castiel's left ring finger.

A ring that was more than a ring.

A ring that was love.

Lexi looked at her watch as it beeped to tell the time. _7 o'clock. _Sam suddenly realized one thing that they had been forgetting. Dean had left to go find the ring, but the ring wasn't out there too find. Dean would be back soon.

Sam and Lexi looked at each other with a knowing glance. _Dean _cannot _find out about this. _However, it seemed their mental conversation wasn't so private.

"He'll be home soon." Castiel attempted to break the silence, but more nothing just filled the void. The quiet remained for some time while every hunter in the room thought about what to do when Dean gets here, but they all seemed paralyzed. Especially so when they heard the door to the bunker open and close and the heavy footprints of a man on a mission.

"Dean." Lexi managed, but Sam was already running out of the room and into the hallway. A few feet from the door, Sam ran into his older brother, attempting to stop him from storming all over the place, but to no avail. Dean merely proceeded at a slower pace towards Castiel's room.

"Let me through, man, it's been a rough day. I've got to talk to Cas, I think he found-"

And there it was. All of a sudden, Dean was standing in the doorway to Cas's room. When he looked inside, he saw Castiel, his angel, sitting on the edge of a bed, holding a velvet box that protected a golden band.

"Why."

In that one word, Dean fell apart. Standing up straight and stepping into the room, Dean knew that this was his chance. Maybe his last chance and saving what they had. With a deep breath, Dean spoke.

"Let me start from the beginning."

_**EEEkkkk! So excited. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you guys liked it! Comment to tell me what you think. We always love to see comments. Thanks a million! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	35. The Truth at Last

_**Oh, my, Chuck. This is it. This is the chapter that I have been waiting to publish since I came up the idea. This is the scene that gave me the best friendship I never had. Al has been my friend for a year and a half now, sticking by my side the whole time. I've been waiting so long, and I know you have too. So, here it is. What really happened that night.**_

_**Chapter 35**_

_**The Truth at Last**_

Lexi had a fair understanding of what was going on between the hunter and his angel. Just because she wasn't sure of who was proposing to who didn't mean she was _completely_ clueless. It seemed like only moments after she got her facts straight that Dean showed up, though, in reality, it was a few hours. But once Dean came lumbering through the bunker door, time seemed to speed up 100%. Thinking quick, Lexi yanked out her phone and started tapping the screen furiously.

Lexi had been a shoulder for Cas to cry on while Sam gave him the specifics of what the ring meant. The only thing left to deal with marched into the room, filling the air with tension. The silence was thick, and it remained for a few moments before Cas uttered a single syllable.

"Why."

Lexi found that it wasn't so much a question as a prompt for an explanation. She could almost hear Dean's heart break when the angel spoke.

"Let me start from the beginning."

_Great. _Lexi thought, _this isn't going to take forever._ With that thought, Lexi shot to her feet, grabbing the attention of everybody in the room.

"Sam, let's go."

The youngest Winchester seemed confused, "What do you mean? Why?"

Lexi wasn't expecting that response, so she said the first thing she thought of, "I have to pee."

A confused look was shot towards the huntress, but Lexi didn't have time to argue.

"And why do I need to come with-"

"All girls go together!" Lexi chimed, pulling Sam into the hallway and out of sight of the confused couple.

"What the hell was that!?" Sam asked in a shouted whisper.

"_That_," Lexi responded, "was me saving us from being in the middle of that conversation."

"But I still want to hear them!" Sam said at full volume. He hadn't noticed the door was still open.

Lexi gave a crooked smile at Cas and Dean, then spoke to Sam through her teeth without breaking eye contact with the two, "Sam…" she said, "Let's leave these two to get caught up. They might need some privacy."

Sam rolled his eyes and allowed Lexi to push him towards the study, where Sam pounded her with a child-like stare that would normally melt her. However, Lexi only smirked.

"Don't give me those puppy-dog eyes, Winchester! I've got something you don't!"

Sam's face changed to a mix of intrigue and desire doubt. Then Lexi reached for her back pocket.

"Do you think he'll notice he's missing something?" She smiled at him as she whipped out Castiel's phone. Sam gave an observant gaze before immediately making a dive for it, but Lexi pulled it out of his reach.

"Give it!" Sam all but shouted.

Lexi gave him a wry smile, "But then, how would we hear what your brother and his angel are saying?" She said, coating her voice in innocence.

A grin appeared on Sam's face, "No way."

Lexi grinned right back, "Yes way! When I heard Dean coming through the bunker's door, I grabbed Cas's phone from his pocket, dialed it from mine and opened up the line. Now we can hear everything they say." She gave an evil grin.

"Can't they hear us too?" Sam asked, whispering.

"Relax, Moose! I put us on mute." Sam gave her a questioning look, "We hear them, they no hear us." Lexi said, mimicking a caveman. Without another word, Lexi and Sam raced to one of the tables and set the phone down, putting it on speaker. Lucky for them, Dean had just begun explaining himself.

_Flashback - months ago_

It was raining, and Dean was pissed. He had spent so much time planning this 'perfect' night and the clouds decided to cry for him. While he only got the actual idea for the setting from Sam about a week ago, Dean had been imagining this day for a long time. And, as many times as he'd imagined it, it was never raining.

Dean's mood went to it's default: Anger. He was behind a bar about half a football field away from the barn where a simple table was waiting to be dressed. Dean had gone back to the Impala to get the duffle bag full of supplies. Tablecloth, hamburgers, bread and honey, a candle, and a rose (Sam's idea, if anyone asks). On his way back to the barn to bring the bag, it started to rain. Dean was now on the front porch of the neighboring bar in order to get out of the rain. _So much for the perfect day._

Dean thought about how the night may go now that the weather decided to rebel. He pictured Castiel, his angel, walking through the oversized doors of the barn, semi-soaked by the rain pouring down outside. He pictured blue eyes locking with his even before they noticed the table. He imagined Cas's face when he tasted the honey that Dean had gotten from a farmers' market upstate. He thought of the wonderful, comfortable silences that they would share. With no pressure to converse, the rain would create a wonderful constant sound to which their hearts could become in sync. Dean's heart flourished as he imagined Castiel's face from his position on one knee. He thought of his angel's eyes staring at a golden band wrapped around his finger. Dean imagined happiness. It looked like Castiel.

_Damn_, Dean thought, _Even the rain can't ruin the beginning of my new life. _Our_, new life._

Dean's wonderful thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched scream. His mind went into overdrive as he assessed the situation. He had already checked the place out with Sam. They thought they had found a shapeshifter hanging out around here, but it turned out to be a mugger. Nonetheless, Dean turned just in time to see a blond woman being pulled into an alley on the other side of the bar.

Dean burst into action. He dashed around the corner and saw a blond woman cowering against a wall, a man in ragged clothing standing over her. The man had a bag in his hands.

"Oo! Designer!" Dean remarked regarding the bag, letting his presence be known, "That purse and, uh…" he look a bit closer, "matching wallet don't really go with your outfit."

The man went wide eyed, then pulled a small knife out of his back pocket, pointing it towards the hunter. Dean scoffed inwardly, "You're wasting your time, man."

"G-g-get outta here! I swear I'll cut you!"

This time, Dean didn't hide his amusement. Laughing out loud, Dean stepped toward the man without hesitation and grabbed him by the wrist, twisting it until the man was kneeling on the ground and howling in pain. Dean grabbed the handbag from him and gave him a kick for good measure.

"Get out of here!" And with that, the man was crawling away.

Dean looked down to the woman. He held a hand out to her and she gladly took it. Standing up, the woman was a few inches shorter than Dean, but made up for it with more than her fair share of breasts. There was a small scratch on her forehead that was bleeding.

"You alright?" he asked.

The woman looked up at him with a starstruck look, "You saved me…" Dean smiled at the comment.

"I've dealt with worse. C'mon, let's get you patched up." Dean assisted her to the front porch of the bar and out of the rain. Once at the door, the woman spoke again.

"You saved my life," she repeated, "How can I make it up to you?"

Dean gave her a smile that practically dripped with pity before his face fell to the ground. He looked at his watch and started to freak out. It was 8:18. Cas was probably already at the barn, and Dean hadn't even set up yet!

"Look, lady, I've got to go-" Dean was interrupted by the blond woman's lips on his. Dean immediately stepped back in shock. An awkward silence was shared as the woman retreated back into her shell.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No, that's alright, I just," Dean looked at the barn, "I already have somebody."

The woman nodded solemnly, tears in her eyes.

"Here, I'll walk you inside, but then I've got to go explain myself to…" Dean stopped, deciding it was easier not to explain.

Little did he know that he wouldn't get to explain himself to his angel. Castiel had already made it to the barn and was looking out a window on the second story. All he saw was his hunter, kissing another woman, and walking into a bar.

_**Eeek! So? How did you like it?! Please tell me what you thought! Comment or pm! Thanks so much! ~Ad&amp;Al**_


	36. What Comes Next

_**Chapter 36**_

_**What Happens Now**_

"Please, Cas. Nobody's in the wrong here."

In telling the story of _the incident_, Dean found himself crying. Silent tears slipped down his eyes as he realized how much he needed Castiel to be his again. Dean wasn't begging for his angel, no. He was pleading for his life.

Castiel seemed to be in shock. He was taking in the story of what _actually _happened. He had been so mad for so long. There was something to be said for the fact that Castiel had waited all these months to hear Dean's side of the story, to hear how Dean had been in the wrong and, generally, to confirm what he thought. But now, Castiel was listening to his hunter tell him the honest truth, he could see it in his eyes, and he didn't know what to do. Castiel couldn't bear the fact that all the pain he had felt was because of his own mistake. He had only himself to blame.

"Cas, please, say something."

The angels eyes were wide and dewy as he looked at the green eye's of his hunter, trying to put the right words together to get across what he was trying to say. After a few moments of silence, Dean spoke once again.

"Look, Cas, you did nothing wrong, I did nothing wrong. I don't see how we can't just act like this whole thing never happened."

And, just like that, Castiel heard the words he had been searching for.

"Yes," the angel responded, "let's pretend like this whole thing never happened.'

"Seriously?" Dean questioned, "Cas, that's, that's amazing. Thank you. So, are you really okay with this? This never happened?"

"Yes." the angel stated, "I'm okay with this. _We _never happened."

Dean was blindsided, "No, Cas," he chuckled, "That's not what I meant. I meant we should act like that whole thing at the barn and at the bar never happened. You and me? We still work."

The angel only shook his head, "I understand what you meant Dean, but, I haven't seen you in almost a year. I don't think it would be wise to 'pick up where we left off' as some might say. I feel the best way to proceed is to go back to being just friends."

"Cas, face it, we were never 'just friends'. From the first time we met each other, we knew what we were."

Castiel had stood up and was now looking the hunter in the eyes, "You may have always known, Dean, but only a few years ago did I understand what the word 'relationship' meant to a man like you."

Dean gasped, "'A man like me'? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

A smile cracked Castiel's lips, "You and I both know that relationships mean something more to hunters than they do to regular people. Starting over is definitely the right choice."

"Cas, I don't know if I can do 'just friends'. Not with you-"

"Just. Friends." the angel demanded, "Take it or leave it."

"Okay." Dean said quickly, not wanting Castiel to flash away before they could reason things out.

"Okay." Cas gave a lopsided smile, maybe not even that, it seemed like more of a half-smile, half-frown-that-won't-go-away-so-let's-attach-it-to-half-of-a-smile, "there will be no unnecessary touching or contact of any kind. Compliments will be accepted, but flirt at your own risk. I'll move back into my old room, oh, and," the angel's gaze faltered from his hunter's eyes, "I'm not sure what is customary for this situation, but I feel it's only right that this stays with you," Castiel handed Dean the ring box. Though both of their hearts broke, Dean's pain coated his face. As the angel began to leave the room, Dean had so many questions, but as he was about to ask the most important one, Castiel answered, having read his mind. As he approached the doorway and peered over his shoulder, Cas muttered, "Of course, Dean. I always will."

"_Shit,_" Lexi muttered, still staring at the phone.

"Yeah. 'Shit' is right." Sam said, standing up from his position crouched over the cell phone.

"Well, what do we do now? It's not like they know that we heard them, but there's also no way we're going to be able to act like we didn't," Lexi had stood up and was now pacing, rambling about what they would do next, "I mean, I see both sides of the argument and I feel bad for Cas, but I think it was mostly his fault. He shouldn't have stayed away for so long, there's really no excuse for that. And then there's your brother! I'm sorry, but that boy is just messed up. There's no way around it. I mean, sure, Cas has blame in this too, but Dean has _got_ to be delusional if he thinks they can 'act like none of this ever happened'. No! This is not something they can just forget! What are they gonna do? No. Don't answer that, I already know. Dean is gonna sulk around the bunker for the next few days only to throw himself into the next hunt in a suicidal rage. Cas is probably gonna need more grace and, to be honest, I'm not sure how good a resource I am. Not to mention the overall hunt that we have to go on. _Into_ hell? Seriously! How is that an okay thing to do!? That's not something that happens everyday, Sam! Thank god I've got you being Mr. Cool over there because otherwise, I might be punching Dean and Cas in their throats until one passes out and the other has to give him CPR so he wakes up kissing the other one!"

Sam just smiled as he watched the steam coming out of Lexi's ears slowly dissipate. He sat back down and leaned on the table, patiently waiting for Lexi.

"What!" Lexi finally noticed how quiet Sam had been.

"Nothing." he stated, "Are you done?"

Lexi took a deep breath and sat down across from the hunter, "Yes. Thank you."

"No need to thank me. I really just wanted to see how long you could talk without taking a breath."

They both chuckled and Lexi put her head down on the table, crossing her arms overhead.

"You don't need to worry, Lexi." Sam's hand reached across the table, fingers stretching to find a grip with Lexi's. Lexi looked up at him, trying not to think so far into this gesture. Sam didn't falter, only continued, "Those two will figure stuff out for themselves. As for the whole 'Hell' thing, don't worry. You've heard our stories, you know that the Winchesters are famous for going to hell and back for someone they love."

A deep blush washed over Lexi's face, and Sam's hand retreated into his hair in a purely 'casual' gesture. He cleared his throat, "I mean, I've been to hell a few times, Dean practically has a summer home there, Cas had to go down there to get both of us, and the king of hell is on speed dial. I'm sure we'll manage.

Lexi's eyes narrowed, "King of Hell? You know what, save it. I'm turning in for the night."

"Alright. I'm gonna be up for a while. I'm gonna translate the rest of the ingredients."

"Kay. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow. Oh! And, Lexi?"

"Yeah?" Lexi looked up, half asleep, only to see Sam blushing furiously.

"Sweet dreams."

Lexi was on cloud nine as she floated back to her room. But she found it took effort to curl up under her covers. It took a long time to let sleep embrace her. Lexi couldn't ignore the sobbing that bled out from the wall that she shared with the almost-angel Castiel.


	37. Awkward!

_**Chapter 37**_

_**Awkward!**_

The dreams Lexi had were most definitely _not_ sweet. She dreamt of her home town, as usual, and going back to find that nobody missed her and the town was mostly the same. The dream only turned bad when the whole town got turned into vampires by a nest that was living in her old hideout by the lake. _Ugh. So not realistic._

Ignoring her usual nightmares, Lexi's mind seemed set on killing everybody who mattered most to her. As she slept, she was forced to watch herself kill Dean and watch Castiel try desperately to revive him, only to kill the angel as well. After that, everything that happened to Sam… all that blood… all the things he said… it was enough to send shivers down Lexi's spine.

She eventually decided that the only way she was going to get over her nightmares was to get out of bed and see for herself that they weren't real.

Lexi threw herself out of bed and forced some real clothes on. A plain t-shirt and jeans would have to suffice. _Who are they to judge anyway…_. Lexi entered the study to see Dean eating a few slices of toast with fried eggs. "That looks good!". Both hunters jumped at sound of Lexi's voice, "Sorry to scare you! I didn't even mean to say that out loud!"

Dean chuckled and stood up, revealing that he was in the same clothing as the day before. His eyes were red and only slightly puffy, indicating that he had been crying, but managed to get himself together in time for the day to start.

"That's alright, I was just about to get some more OJ, you want some?"

"Yeah! That sounds great!"

But, before she could finish her sentence, the Winchester was already well on his way to the kitchen.

"Rude." Lexi said aloud.

"Don't blame yourself."

Lexi jumped and swung a fist at whoever was behind her. In the next second, Castiel was holding her fist inches away from his face.

"That was unnecessary." he said.

"Sorry!" Lexi apologized, "Natural reflex, y'know?"

"Yes. I understand. I apologize if I scared you, but I don't think you're the reason why Dean was in such a hurry."

Only then did Lexi take a good look at the angel. His eyes were just as puffy as Dean's, but less red, showing that he cried most of last night, but not as much in the morning. Though, Lexi already knew that.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, genuinely concerned for his health.

The angel glanced at the hall that lead to the kitchen, confirming that Dean hadn't snuck back into the study. He sighed heavily before continuing, "I didn't sleep well."

"I thought angels didn't need sleep."

"They do when they've just told somebody to stay away from them."

Lexi sighed and looked at the ground. Castiel grew concerned at Lexi's reaction.

"That is to say, that's what happened," Castiel explained, "This is a specific case, and with my fading grace, I'm not sure that _all_ angels would need to sleep if they were put into this specific-"

"I get it, Cas."

"Oh." he raised his head a bit, showing that he understood that he hadn't needed to say any of that.

"Would some grace help?"

The angel smiled as his he was finally offered the one thing he was craving, "That would be wonderful, but maybe after some sustenance."

"Dean's in the kitchen if you want to…" Lexi didn't know where to go from there. She realized that there was no way for her to feel comfortable with them acting like this.

Then, as if by miracle, Sam walked into the room, hair still damp from his morning shower. Sam didn't seem fazed by how disheveled Castiel looked, and when Dean came back into the room with a stack of pancakes and plates, Sam didn't really make any sign that he had heard their conversation.

"I heard everybody was up, and I didn't feel like making a shitton of eggs, so I got pancakes instead," Dean explained.

They all sat around the table in an order that drove Lexi mad. There was Dean, then to his left, Cas. Then to _his_ left, Lexi. Sam sat on the end between Lexi and Dean. How Sam was acting so natural, Lexi had no clue.

Because of this order, Lexi was forced to sit across from Dean. Any and all eye contact with him seemed awkward. He heard her talking with his… Castiel… right after they fought. Cas was obviously ruined by the whole fight. He hardly looked up from his plate, and when he did, it was to make a pitiful gesture to the syrup or butter. Lexi was the only one who really acknowledged his presence.

And then there was Sam. Samuel Sammy Cool-as-a-Cucumber Winchester. He was reading the morning paper. Not bothering to look up from it, the article must have been very interesting.

"So," Lexi broke, "Did you get anywhere with the ingredients?"

"Yeah, actually," he put down the newspaper and reached to the other table, pulling out a spiral notebook, "The next ingredient we need is… the blood of a newborn vampire. Have we got any vamps on the 'To Kill' list?

Dean pulled a laptop from a nearby stack of books and opened it up, "Well, we got a few hits on… nevermind."

"No, what was it?" Lexi asked, her input was an interesting change of tone.

"Well, our friend Claudia setup this system for us. We put in a few keywords like 'Demons', 'Hell', and 'Mysterious'. We got a hit on one of them, but it's just the name of a pond or something."

"What's the word?" Sam asked.

"Devil. There's a few missing persons cases at Devil's pond."

"Lake." Lexi said, almost as an impulse. Through this, she earned the attention of everybody at the table, "It's Devil's Lake. North Dakota. Excuse me but I have to receive a call."

Everybody's face twisted into confusion, "Um, do you mean 'make' a call?" Sam asked.

"No, you see I have this friend-" Lexi was cut off by her ringtone sounding. she picked it up and started to walk out of the room, but not before covering the receiver with her hand and saying to the boys, "Get packed, we've got a case."


	38. Going Home

_Alright, guys. I think its time for you to get to know Lexi a little better. I hope you enjoy this little adventure! It's gonna be a bumpy ride..._

_**Chapter 38**_

_**Going Home**_

"Talk to me, Lindsey." Lexi spoke into her phone.

"_Two missing persons, a few cattle mutilations, and red water from the tap."_

"Gotcha, what's Momma sayin'?"

"_She's tellin me that I made the right choice moving up here. We need you. I've just got to make a few calls. There's these hunters that'll be able to help us."_

"No need, I've got my own gang."

"_Lexi, these hunters, they're no ordinary bunch. They're masters of monsters. Believe me when I say, you want them on your side."_

Lexi sighed, "Fine. Go ahead and call them, but they won't be able to help you more than we can."

"_Gotcha. Oh, and, Lexi?"_

"Yeah?"

"_It's good to hear your voice."_

"You too, Lin. I'll be there as soon as we can."

With that, Lexi braced herself for a wave of questions and nostalgia. When she entered the study, she found Dean cleaning up the dishes, Castiel wiping his face and quietly thanking Dean, and no Sam in sight.

"So, newbie, what kind of a hunt are we lookin' at?" Dean asked.

"No clue. I just know we got one. Is Sam getting packed?"

"Yeah, we should be ready to roll in 30."

"Awesome. I'm bringing my battle van, I assume the Impala is coming along?"

"Hell yes! Why are you bringing that van? Baby's got everything that we need!"

"I'm bringing her. End of conversation. I'll go ask Sam who he's riding with."

"Fine," Dean conceded, "At least take him his phone."

Lexi picked up the phone that was lying on the table and tucked it into her pocket, headed towards Sam's room.

Once she was there, Lexi noticed the door to Sam's room was slightly open. When she knocked, the door opened up a bit more.

"Come in!" Sam's voice shouted.

"Hey, whoa…" Lexi walked into Sam's room and saw Sam, sitting against the head of the bed, _reading_, with two duffel bags packed at the foot of the bed.

"Hey, Lexi, what's up?" Sam straightened himself, attempting to make his back straighter against the head of his bed.

"Nothing just… do you always get packed this fast?"

Sam blushed, "Yeah, I guess it's something I picked up from-"

The phone in Lexi's pocket went off. She pulled it out, the only thing in her mind was _Wow, Monster Central is non-stop today, isn't it?_

She checked the number on the screen before thinking about it, and without noticing that it was Sam's phone. She tossed it his way, and he caught it with mass precision.

"Thanks," he said, before leaving his ringing phone on the bed.

"Are you gonna pick it up?" Lexi asked.

"It's an unknown number, I'll let it go to voicemail."

Lexi squinted to sharpen her gaze at the phone. Without hesitation she picked it up.

"Hello?"

"_Hello. You don't know me, but I need your help. My name is-"_

"Lindsey?" Lexi asked.

"_Yes, how did you… Lexi?"_

"I told you I've got a gang! I just didn't know you were looking for the Winchesters!"

"_No problem. Momma's yelling at me now. How was I supposed to know that the Lexi the Little would be all buddy buddy with the Wonderful Winchesters?!"_

"That's alright! It's a long story. I'll explain once we're there. See you soon. We'll be on the road in no time." And with that, Lexi hung up the phone and tossed it back to Sam.

He gazed up at her with hazel eyes, "Who was that?"

"A friend. Her name is Lindsey and she's… well, she's special."

"Meaning?"

"You'll get it when we get there."

"Alright. Are you taking the van?"

She chuckled, "Yeah! Dean doesn't want me to, but I'm keeping her close."

"Dean can suck it," Sam put down his book and stood, surprising Lexi with his height, "You got this gig for us, you drive."

Lexi blushed as Sam made his way closer to her.

"Well, there isn't exactly enough room in the battle van for all of us, so Baby's coming too."

"Makes sense. I guess I'll…" Sam shrugged and stopped talking.

"You'll…?" Lexi prompted.

"I was going to say that I'd like to ride with you, but I don't think that'd be a good idea," Sam said, looking as dismayed as ever a few feet in front of Lexi.

The Huntress couldn't stop blushing, she couldn't even attempt to hide it, but she found her face falling as Sam told her this. When the Winchester saw her face, however, he only tripped over his own words.

"I don't mean that I don't want too! I do! I just, I can't- I don't-," he huffed and gazed at Lexi with wide eyes, after a few seconds that felt like a lifetime, Sam finally got the right words together, "I would love to ride in the van with you, but if I do, Dean and Cas are going to be driving in the Impala."

Lexi didn't seem to understand.

"Dean. Dean and Cas. The only other people in this bunker who we recently heard break up and make an agreement saying that there won't be anything outside of hunting in their vocabulary. In the same car?"

Lexi sighed, relieved, yet still put out, "I guess you're right. I don't know what kind of insurance you guys fake, but I'm pretty sure you won't be able to pay for all the damages."

Sam just chuckled and kept looking at Lexi. The silence was comfortable. Just two people. Alone. Standing only a few feet from each other. Staring into one another's eyes. Enjoying the company.

Neither hunter knew, or cared for that matter, how long they had been standing there when Dean knocked on the already open door, "You two just about ready?" he asked, just a bit of smugness in his voice.

"Yeah." Sam and Lexi spoke in unison.

"Okay then," Dean smirked, "You two want the back seat?"

Lexi scoffed and barged passed him.

Only ten minutes later, two cars were on the road. One black Impala, whose story you already know, and a large van, whose history this journey could reveal.


End file.
